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BBC is forced to halt Whitehall staff scheme over claims civil servants wrote articles on small boats and Covid

BBC is forced to halt Whitehall staff scheme over claims civil servants wrote articles on small boats and Covid

Some 39 officials from HMRC, the Home Office, the Ministry of Justice and the DWP have been placed inside the BBC since 2018. Several were bylined as BBC Verify or BBC News staff on the corporation's website. Returning secondees reportedly checked figures from prime minister's questions, worked on Rachel Reeves's budget and gave script advice for TV bulletins. The BBC insists no statistician ever made an editorial decision.

Shadow culture secretary Rebecca Paul said the blurred line 'erodes public trust in the BBC'.

A job advert for 2027 reportedly promised 'the ability to influence decision making'.

The pause lands while the BBC negotiates its charter renewal with the government.

MoreThe TimesBBC accused of impartiality breach over use of Whitehall fact-checkersThe TelegraphBBC suspends Civil Service fact-checking scheme - The TelegraphDaily Mail NewsBBC halts civil servant scheme after impartiality row over government staff being sent into the newsroom to write and fact-check articles on Covid and boat migrantsBBC NewsBBC pauses civil service secondment schemeGB NewsBBC forced into embarrassing climbdown after civil servants caught working for 'fact-checking unit' - GB NewsThe National ScotBBC pauses secondment scheme following accusations civil servants wrote articles - The National ScotAOL.comBBC suspends Civil Service fact-checking scheme exposed by Telegraph - AOL.com
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