Tory calls on BBC to investigate Carol Vorderman 'for impartiality breaches' after her scathing criticism of Conservatives

29 July 2023, 14:33

Carol Vorderman has been accused of breaching BBC impartiality guidelines as she bombards Conservatives with strong criticism on social media.

The former countdown star has lambasted Tories repeatedly on Twitter and Instagram, having accused the government of being "greedy", "corrupt" and "hateful".

In recent tweets, she blasted Boris Johnson for making "an utter mockery of our democracy" for appointing 30-year-old Charlotte Owen to a life peerage in the House of Lord and criticised Rishi Sunak for wading in to the Coutts saga.

Vorderman, who hosts a show on BBC Radio Wales, also engaged in a running battle with Conservative MP Johnny Mercer.

His Tory colleague Craig Mackinlay, who represents South Thanet, said: "She has certainly been on a strange journey because you don't find a more rabid anti-Conservative inhabiting Twitter these days.

"I don't quite know how she's got there. I know she's been having this spat with Johnny Mercer and his wife for some time, but she's in receipt of the BBC coin."

Her criticism from the Conservatives is a long way from when she helped David Cameron campaign for maths education in 2009, criticising Labour's record on the subject in GCSE results.

She recently criticised Mercer for having a "tantrum" during a spat about his comments on veterans using food banks, when he said using them was a personal decision.

Read more: Johnny Mercer's wife accuses Carol Vorderman of 'inciting hate' against Tories

He replied, calling her "grim", which Vorderman described as a "new low", before Mercer's wife Felicity Cornelius-Mercer waded in to call her a "nasty person".

"Whichever way you look at it, she is she has flagrantly crossed any boundary of impartiality, fundamental to the BBC's charter, and is indulging in in very anti-Conservative rhetoric," Mackinlay told the Mail.

"She's using her not insubstantial Twitter following, which will only go up on the back of her BBC programme, to actually promote a political viewpoint.

"Gary Lineker crossed some boundaries, but they seem almost mild compared to the the new space that Carol Vorderman is occupying and it's time the BBC reminded her of their own guidelines."

Read more: 'Little Rishi who can't stand up to people': Carol Vorderman reports lack of support for the PM in recent polling

Vorderman, who has more than 800,000 Twitter followers, backed Lineker during the BBC spat.

The corporation backed down during the spat which saw Lineker removed from presenting Match of the Day - a decision which led to his co-presenters refusing to work on it.

He was quickly reinstated after the stripped down football highlights show aired, in what was seen as a victory for the ex-England legend.

Vorderman's representatives had not replied to the Mail for comment.