‘The BBC had to be dragged, kicked and shouted at’ Andy Burnham brutally swiped

Mr Burnham claimed the BBC had become too London-centric in their reporting, insisting it was better to go to Salford. The mayor of Manchester then said the move had diversified the BBC. Mr Bunham then explained why the national media should reflect on what was happening in Manchester. The mayor of Manchester spoke to broadcast journalists Emon Holmes and Isabel Webster, who questioned Mr Burnham as to why GB News had become so popular in Manchester because they claimed they had the highest opinion from there.

Mrs Webster said: “You’ll be aware Emon and I have been here all week, and I want to ask you what you think of GB News here.

“We chose Manchester as the first place to have breakfast outside of London because it got our fast growing audience.

“Why do you think that? Why do people in the Northwest like our channel?

Mr Holmes said: “People often think they don’t have the voice you see.”

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Mr Burnham said: “Westminster is London-centric, but so is our media.

Because the country is London-centric, the media is London-centric.

“As you know, I was the culture secretary who dragged the BBC, and they had to be kicked and shouted at and dragged to Salford.

“I mean look at this, I think their diversity and the content they publish has improved.

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The 79-year-old conservative peer of the media regulator, Lord Grade Chair, has been criticized for the BBC’s license fees because the BBC was pushing for a bigger license settlement.

“To put it bluntly, my criticism of the license fee was that their news bulletins were full at the time of the final settlement.

“And there they, another part of the BBC, wanted more money on license fees.