Ofcom deputy chair to stop making ‘public comments of a political nature’ after Harriet Harmon complains about anti-Labour tweets
Conservative peer Lady Noakes has agreed to stop posting political tweets after Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman complained they harmed the impartiality required to be an Ofcom deputy chair.
Conservative peer Lady Noakes
Following Harman dubbing Noakes “a Tory stooge” in an open letter to culture secretary Sajid Javid complaining that the tweets breached Ofcom’s legislated requirement for impartiality on Thursday, a spokesperson for the deputy chair admitted the comments “were not appropriate” for an Ofcom board member, according to the Guardian.
Ofcom chair Patrician Hodgson, in a letter to Javid said that lady Noakes is “resolutely committed to ensuring [Ofcom’s] independence" and that “[the] political nature of some comments on her personal Twitter account were not appropriate from someone who is a member of the Ofcom board".
Hodgson added: "Whilst, as a board member, [Noakes] remains able to express her opinions publicly on a range of matters, she had already agreed with me to refrain from public comments of a political nature while she remains a member of the Ofcom board."
Below are some of the tweets which sparked the incident, including recent comments on Labour and Ed Miliband's leadership.
Further fall in UK unemployment. #LongTermPlan still delivering. Must not let Labour back to destroy progress. http://t.co/TGbPY6wNDy
— Sheila Noakes (@1SVN) January 21, 2015
Be afraid. Be very afraid if @Ed_Miliband and #Labour get back into power. pic.twitter.com/2UnKZIO2yC
— Sheila Noakes (@1SVN) January 11, 2015
Hoakes also mocked Ukip leader Nigel Farage by sharing her score on from Ukik, an Android app which tasks players with booting the UK Independence Party leader off the British Isles.
I kicked Farage 27.78 miles out of Kent! Can you beat me? pic.twitter.com/8pRWe17s1Q http://t.co/kSkJu8Fguf
— Sheila Noakes (@1SVN) January 17, 2015
The debacle comes after Sharon White was appointed as chief executive of Ofcom in December.
Content created with:
Ofcom
Find out more