The BBC is embroiled in another row about political impartiality after a former York Labour campaigner was appointed by the corporation as a fact checker.
Oscar Bentley campaigned for the Labour Party in York during the 2019 city council elections.
One of his tweets during that election, uncovered by the Mail Online, said: “Seven hours of door knocking yesterday paid off with three Labour wins in Hull Road Ward”.
Mr Bentley was a student at the University of York at the time.
In other tweets during his York days he described himself as a ‘lefty student journalist’ and expressed support for former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
And before a demonstration in the city centre he criticised the Conservative York Outer MP Julian Sturdy.
Mr Bentley tweeted: “Join us as we join the demo and march against foxhunting, a callous blood ‘sport’ supported by Conservative York outer incumbent MP and general election candidate Julian Sturdy.”
He is now employed by the BBC’s political research unit and was on the Politics Live programme on Wednesday fact-checking Prime Minister’s Question.
In his analysis, he questioned PM Rishi Sunak’s claim that crime had fallen by 50% under the Conservatives.
Mr Bentley’s appointment to such a sensitive position was criticised by leading Conservatives.
Tory vice chairman Craig Tracey told the Mail: “This looks like clear and obvious bias. Brits expect the BBC to offer impartial analysis, especially with issues that affect the whole nation, so it’s disappointing to see them spin Labour party activists as fact checkers.”
A BBC spokesperson said that the vast majority of Bentley’s social media posts pre-dated his employment at the broadcaster and added that they employ people of all kinds of backgrounds.
They said: “Once people are BBC employees, they are bound by the BBC’s editorial rules of impartiality, but any opinions they’ve expressed before working for the BBC, in this case when they were at university, are completely irrelevant.”