BBC hits back at Paul Dacre Daily Mail article as spat over Ralph Miliband controversy continues

But the BBC responded to the accusations a short time later and insisted its coverage has been fair and balanced.

“We completely reject any suggestion that our reporting has been biased,” a statement said. “We followed the story as it unfolded and ensured both sides had the chance to express their views.

“As a public broadcaster, we have a responsibility to report the news without fear or favour, providing balanced information and independent analysis, allowing our audiences to make up their own minds.”

Controversy erupted earlier this month after the Daily Mail published an article about Ralph Miliband titled “Man Who Hated Britain”.

The Press Complaints Commission (PCC) received more than 30 complaints about the article and high profile public figures, including Lord Sugar, called for an advertiser boycott of the paper.

The story escalated further when it emerged that two journalists from the Mail on Sunday gatecrashed a memorial service for Ed Miliband’s uncle in an attempt to question the Miliband family over its sister paper’s article.

Analysis from the Telegraph a week ago showed that the BBC’s coverage of the story had so far totalled 30 articles on its website and took up 49 minutes out of the 12 hours of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme across four editions in four days.

The story also received rolling coverage the Guardian, which dedicated a live blog to events as they unfolded.

Dacre added in his article: “The hysteria that followed is symptomatic of the post-Leveson age in which any newspaper which dares to take on the Left in the interests of its readers risks being howled down by the Twitter mob whom the BBC absurdly thinks represents the views of real Britain.”

Dacre went on to say that the coverage of the incident demonstrated why “politicians must not be allowed anywhere near press regulation” and said newspapers were the only media left in Britain that was free from state control.