Boris Johnson woos BBC critic Paul Dacre for Ofcom post
Boris Johnson is considering appointing one of the BBC’s fiercest critics as chairman of the broadcasting regulator, in a dramatic move that will dial up the pressure on the corporation.
Paul Dacre, the former long-standing editor of the Daily Mail, is understood to be the Prime Minister’s favoured choice to become chairman of Ofcom.
The potential appointment is certain to cause deep alarm among the BBC’s current hierarchy and its supporters. It is expected that the Fleet Street veteran would want to reign in the corporation, forcing it to downsize and focus on its core public service responsibilities. He would also be expected to take a hardline against tech giants such as Google and Facebook.
Mr Dacre stepped down as editor of the Daily Mail in November 2018. He remains on the board of the Mail’s parent company, Associated Newspapers.
Dame Melanie Dawes, a former Whitehall mandarin, was appointed as chief executive of Ofcom in February. The official application process for the chairmanship has yet to be published.
Talks with Mr Dacre remain at an early stage and it is not yet certain that he will be chosen for, or agree, to take up the role.
Lord Moore, the former editor of the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph and biographer of Margaret Thatcher, is also being linked to the position of BBC chairman.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is preparing the job description for the BBC chairman’s role and is expected to invite applications this week.
The move comes as it was announced a new channel, GB News, would be launched with former BBC presenter Andrew Neil as the chairman. The 71-year-old is also set to host his own flagship evening show on the 24-hour channel, which plans to launch early next year.
The BBC itself is facing a cull of senior management after its annual report revealed that 100 executives are earning in excess of £150,000 a year.
Tim Davie, the new director-general, believes that unnecessary layers of bureaucracy were allowed to flourish under his predecessor, Lord Hall of Birkenhead.
