BBC presenter Martine Croxall has been taken off air over a “potential breach of impartiality” after Boris Johnson pulled out of the Conservative leadership race.
During the BBC News channel segment The Papers on Sunday (October 23), which aired at 10.30pm after Johnson made the announcement at 9pm, Croxall said she was “gleeful” during her introduction.
“Well this is all very exciting, isn’t it? Am I allowed to be this gleeful? Well I am,” Croxall said in the show’s opening moments.
She went onto ask the show’s guests: “Can we even show you the front pages just yet, have they arrived? No, they haven’t arrived.
BBC presenter Martine Croxall asks “Am I allowed to be this gleeful? Well I am!”
The news broke just minutes earlier that Boris Johnson had pulled out of the race to become PM.
Some viewers said they’ve complained to Ofcom claiming it breaches BBC impartiality. pic.twitter.com/Av2s8ASfdM
— Gareth Davies (@GD10) October 24, 2022
“It’s all a little bit, you know, lastminute.com isn’t it? Because all the front pages were probably out of date by the time we received them.”
After she laughed at a guest’s comment mocking the former prime minister later in the show, Croxall said: “I shouldn’t probably [laugh]. I’m probably breaking some terrible due impartiality rule by giggling.”
Following criticism from a number of Tory MPs, including former culture secretary Nadine Dorries, the BBC confirmed it’s investigating the incident.
In a statement on Monday (October 24), a spokesperson for the BBC said: “BBC News is urgently reviewing last night’s edition of The Papers on the news channel for a potential breach of impartiality.
“It is imperative that we maintain the highest editorial standards. We have processes in place to uphold our standards, and these processes have been activated.”
According to the PA news agency (via the Guardian), Croxall will remain off air until the BBC’s investigation is complete.
Last week, Channel 4 News presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy was suspended for a week after saying “what a cunt” following an interview with Conservative MP Steve Baker.
Rishi Sunak is set to become the UK’s next prime minister, after both Johnson and Penny Mordaunt withdrew from the leadership race.