The BBC has sparked anger by inviting Damian McBride, the disgraced spin-doctor who resigned from Downing Street, to address staff in a private briefing before the election.
Gordon Brown’s former spokesman appeared on a panel alongside Charles Clarke, the Labour MP, and Nick Robinson, the BBC’s political editor, to discuss whether Labour could beat the Conservatives in the general election. Daniel Finkelstein, The Times’s chief leader writer, also took part.
Mr McBride resigned last April after sending out e-mail “smears” about Tory MPs and their spouses. The Conservatives said that they were furious, calling the move an “insult”.
Some Labour insiders reacted nervously to the move, saying it suggested that his reputation was slowly being rehabilitated. They believe that this is a stepping stone which could allow him to return to national politics in the next Parliament, perhaps under a Labour party led by Ed Balls.
Mr McBride, who is still in regular contact with Downing Street officials, told the audience of BBC staff that he predicted the general election would result in a hung Parliament. He also suggested that Mr Brown would turn the polls round during the campaign, in the style of Harry Truman versus Thomas Dewey, the 1948 presidential race which was so close that on election night some early newspaper editions mistakenly called the result for Mr Dewey.
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Mr McBride resigned after bloggers obtained e-mails to Derek Draper suggesting possible smear stories that could go on a new anti-Tory “attack” website. At yesterday’s event Mr McBride suggested that citizen journalists, rather than bloggers, would be the defining change of this general election.
He also boasted about Mr Brown’s ability to focus on detail during a crisis such as the foot-and-mouth crisis in 2001. He suggested that David Cameron was not good on detail, citing his mistake over marriage policy last week.
Eric Pickles, Conservative party chairman, said: “Damian McBride was the conductor of one of the most brutal and malicious smear operations in Downing Street. It is highly questionable what a man like this can contribute to a BBC event about maintaining high journalistic standards. Impartiality must be at the heart of what the BBC does. This raises serious concerns.”
Mr Pickles was asked in October to appear at the event but his office did not respond to the invitation.
The BBC disputed that the event was about journalistic standards and emphasised that Mr McBride was not paid. The discussion was followed by an event with Jeremy Hunt, the Shadow Culture Secretary. Lord Mandelson appeared beforehand.
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The other guests on the panel were informed the day before that they would be appearing alongside Mr McBride.
Mr Clarke was unaware that he would be sharing a platform with Mr McBride, mistakenly thinking that he was appearing alongside Damian Green, the Shadow Immigration Minister. He said that he would not have pulled out of the event had he been informed.
A BBC spokesman said: “It’s important for people to have the space to take stock, keep up with new developments and ensure we are providing the best possible service for our audience. The event allows staff across the whole of the division to come together to debate and discuss industry and editorial developments — including hearing from outside perspectives.”
Nadine Dorries, the Tory MP who was mentioned in one of the “smear” e-mails, said last night: “I am stunned that a self-confessed fantasist and liar, who practised his art from the private office of the Prime Minister, has been invited to speak at a conference hosted by the self-confessed guardians of journalistic standards, the BBC.
“This must be about McBride attempting to rehabilitate himself and present an acceptable front, ready to move back into the world of Labour politics in time for the general election and being ably assisted in this process by the supposedly impartial publicly funded corporation.”