A health minister criticised the BBC for inviting her to resign live on air amid the leadership crisis.
Maria Caulfield, minister for patient safety and primary care, accused the broadcaster of treating the turmoil as ‘just one big game’.
She took to Twitter on Tuesday to share a message she received from Tom Smithard, a senior journalist at Radio 4’s Today programme.
MP Maria Caulfield (pictured) blasted the BBC after a producer asked if she was thinking of resigning and whether she would consider doing it live on air
The text message (pictured) says an on air resignation would be ‘even better’
It showed Mr Smithard, who describes himself on social media as a producer/edition editor on the news show, suggesting: ‘Hi Maria, Tom Smithard here from the Today programme. I appreciate you may well be staying in place but if you are planning on resigning we’d be very keen to get an interview with you – a resignation live on air would be even better.
‘Please do let me know in confidence if that’s something you’d consider.’
Miss Caulfield wrote on Twitter: ‘These are very difficult times. Unfortunately for the BBC it is just one big game.’
It came as the major broadcasters raised eyebrows with some of their coverage. On Tuesday, Sky News’ Sam Coates was seen repeatedly yelling at Cabinet ministers as they walked along Downing Street.
Yesterday BBC News channel presenter Annita McVeigh preceded an interview by saying she would ‘apologise in advance’ if she had to ‘suddenly turn around and shout in the direction of the Prime Minister’.
