Responding to the news that Paul Dacre has withdrawn from the race to become the next chair of Ofcom, Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesperson for Culture, Media and Sport Jane Bonham Carter said: “The corruption and cronyism doesn’t stop at the gates of Parliament. Yet again the Prime Minister has tried to change the rules to get what he wants, and it has backfired spectacularly.

“The Liberal Democrats always said Paul Dacre was not the man for the job, as was confirmed the first time he applied and was deemed unappointable. That hasn’t changed in spite of Boris Johnson’s best efforts to go the extra mile for his friend and hijack an independent appointment process.
“From the Owen Paterson sleaze scandal to this botched fix-up, the Conservatives have shown that they can’t be trusted not to rig the rules to suit. The Liberal Democrats will continue to watch this selection process closely to ensure a truly independent candidate is appointed.”