The Scoop

Paxman butters up Boris - as his real BBC inquisitors are threatened with cuts

Darryl Chamberlain | Thursday 6 October, 2011 19:53

Aww, sweet. Forget scrutinising the most important man in London, let’s cosy up to him instead!

Newsnight viewers were treated to this surreally cosy chat between old buddies Jeremy Paxman and Boris Johnson earlier this week. Challenge the mayor on his record, with an election coming up? Nah, let’s just run the same old stuff about him wanting to be prime minister instead. It’s not as if anyone’s done that before, eh?

That’s the same Boris Johnson who regularly evades serious questioning from BBC London’s political editor, Tim Dovovan, and whose transport policy is coming under tough scrutiny from its transport correspondent, Tom Edwards. Solid journalism to be proud of – but perhaps the BBC prefers its journalists to be flirting with the mayor instead of challenging him.

While Paxman was no doubt being congratulated by his Newsnight bosses for crawling up to the mayor, Donovan and Edwards’ colleagues in the capital were receiving shattering news – half of all jobs at BBC London 94.9 are under threat with the TV bulletins also facing staff cuts as the corporation prepares to shed up to 2,000 staff nationwide.

Could you imagine Paxman batting his eyelids at Alex Salmond in the same way he buttered up Boris Johnson – and then half the staff at Radio Scotland threatened with the boot?

No – but hey, London’s only a city of seven million people, it doesn’t really need quality journalism, does it? Especially when there’s a mayor the national news boys can josh along with.

Now, forget the Tube grinding to a halt, let’s get down to the real question – Mr Mayor, when did you last beat the Prime Minister at tennis?

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