Tory MP criticises 'smiling' BBC female newsreaders

A veteran Conservative MP has accused the BBC of bias in its news reports and criticised female BBC newsreaders for smiling while reading out serious items.

Speaking yesterday in the House of Commons, David Amess said that the end of the digital switchover in 2012 would be a good time to rethink the current funding structure of the BBC.

The MP for Southend West claimed that the BBC shows bias on several issues, particularly its reporting on the events in Israel, which he said was covered in a "highly disproportionate manner".

He also criticised "one or two female newsreaders" on the BBC News team for smiling when they read out serious news stories.

"I don't know whether we have brilliant presenters," said Amess.

"I would just say that it annoys me when one or two female presenters, I don't know whether they've had too much Botox or something, when they are presenting the news and it's a very serious subject, they are smiling, which I find slightly annoying."

Amess is mostly concerned that the corporation has a "fervently anti-cuts" agenda as it faces up to a 16% reduction in real terms to its income under the new licence fee settlement agreed last year.

"More poignantly, [the BBC] is fervently anti-cuts and ensures that this message pervades every aspect of BBC programming," he said.

"Since the general election the BBC has embarked upon a consistent policy of criticising government actions, which is rather amusing given that the director general declared 'bias at the BBC...' - so he must have recognised there was bias - 'bias at the BBC was a thing of the past'."

Amess also accused the corporation of paying "absolutely ludicrous" salaries to its senior management.

He added: "The director general [Mark Thompson]- £838,000. This is madness. Other directors' pay, as of March 2011: one gets £488,000, another one gets £517,000, another one £467,000, another one £452,000. Not to mention what the financial controller gets."

Also speaking in the debate, culture minister Ed Vaizey said that the BBC is a fine broadcaster, but stressed that action is being taken over concerns about its bias.

He said that the corporation would in future have "annual impartiality reviews" and regular "impartiality seminars" to "re-educate staff".

Vaizey added: "It's right and proper that we acknowledge, I think, that the BBC is one of the finest broadcasters not just in this country but in the world.

"It sets a quality bar which is why we have such high quality television and radio in this country."

The BBC declined to comment on the debate.