The BBC has told Rod Liddle he "cannot continue" to write a newspaper column while editing Radio 4's Today programme, following comments he made on the countryside march.

Mr Liddle criticised the Countryside Alliance's 400,000-strong march through central London, which took place on Sunday, in his weekly piece in The Guardian.

In it, he attacked public schools who reportedly encouraged their pupils to go to the rally, and the capital's members' clubs for opening their doors to protesters.

"You may have forgotten why you voted Labour in 1997," he wrote.

"But then you catch a glimpse of the forces supporting the Countryside Alliance... and suddenly, rather gloriously, it might be that you remember once again."

The BBC has also defended Today's coverage of the march

The BBC said the piece was "not acceptable" and "does not square with the BBC's obligation to be impartial and to be seen to be impartial".

"Rod Liddle accepts this column was a significant error of judgement", the statement added.

The corporation added that a "technical error" had prevented the column from being properly scrutinised by the BBC before publication.

"Rod Liddle clears his column with a senior BBC News manager every week.

"In this instance there was a genuine and regrettable technical error and the full column was not presented for scrutiny before publication," said the BBC.

Coverage

But the corporation defended the Today programme's coverage of the march itself, which brought large numbers of demonstrators to London last weekend.

The Daily Telegraph had accused Today of failing to report properly on the march.

"The Telegraph's attack on the quality of the Today programme's coverage of the Countryside Alliance march is wrong.

"In the weeks leading up to the march, Today gave considerable prominence to many of the concerns of rural Britain.

'Magnitude'

"On the day before the march it was the Today programme's principal story," said the BBC.

The corporation added that on the Sunday itself, although the show was not on air, BBC News on radio, television and online reported it as the lead story and "reflected the magnitude of the event".

Mr Liddle is in the running to present a new BBC Two politics programme for younger viewers along with Radio Five Live's Fi Glover, although the show has not yet been given the go-ahead.