Exclusive: Regulator asked interview panellists to be replaced as they were ‘not sufficiently independent’
A watchdog had to prevent ministers breaching a strict code on political neutrality and independence during the search for new chairs for the BBC and the British Film Institute (BFI), the Guardian can reveal.
A Freedom of Information Act response by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (Ocpa) showed that ministers were asked to replace interview panellists for the high-profile jobs because they were “not sufficiently independent”.