What was the most important story this morning?
The suspension from the Parliamentary Labour Party of Stephen Byers, Patricia Hewitt, Geoff Hoon and Margaret Moran over the lobbying furore?
Or fresh revelations that a far greater number of MPs had abused Parliamentary rules by accepting overseas trips paid for by foreign governments?
The suspension from the Parliamentary Labour Party of Stephen Byers, Patricia Hewitt, Geoff Hoon and Margaret Moran over the lobbying furore?
Or fresh revelations that a far greater number of MPs had abused Parliamentary rules by accepting overseas trips paid for by foreign governments?
Tough call.
In the end the lobbying story won and led the BBC network radio bulletins, with the notable exception of 5 Live, which went with MPs' travel.
This story was the result of a BBC investigation and, as Home Affairs Editor Mark Easton told the Today programme on Radio 4 at 7.32am:
In the end the lobbying story won and led the BBC network radio bulletins, with the notable exception of 5 Live, which went with MPs' travel.
This story was the result of a BBC investigation and, as Home Affairs Editor Mark Easton told the Today programme on Radio 4 at 7.32am:
"It is not so much about the individual breaches ... I think it's about the system itself where there is no-one actually policing It ... there is no-one checking that MPs are doing what their rules say that they should do. And the concern is not so much for them ... And their own reputation ... But it is about the reputation of our democracy and our Parliament."
Ironically, given the way radio audiences churn over, plenty of listeners would have been engaged by Mark Easton's two-way with John Humphrys. Maybe as many as caught the lobbying lead.
I wonder if this was deliberate scheduling on the part of the Today production team - or a quirk of the schedule?
Incidentally, BBC Breakfast went with lobbying first, then the MPs travel story.
Ironically, given the way radio audiences churn over, plenty of listeners would have been engaged by Mark Easton's two-way with John Humphrys. Maybe as many as caught the lobbying lead.
I wonder if this was deliberate scheduling on the part of the Today production team - or a quirk of the schedule?
Incidentally, BBC Breakfast went with lobbying first, then the MPs travel story.
