BBC Caught Altering Budget Article to Be More Favourable to Labour
Guido had a cursory scroll of the BBC News website earlier and had a look at their article titled: “UK borrowing costs at highest for a year after Budget.” That headline is nowhere to be seen now…
The article was given a new headline by 10 a.m. today on online displays: “Investors reaction to Budget ‘very different’ to Truss, says Reeves’ colleague.” The entire top of the piece had market analysis replaced with supportive quotes from ‘colleague’ Darren Jones. Who happens to be Chief Secretary to the Treasury…
Gone is testimony from actual analysts:
“Yields have been driven higher after the chancellor announced a sharp rise in government borrowing… Kathleen Brooks, an analyst at trading firm XTB, said the movement indicated that the Budget ‘has not been well received’ by markets. ‘This is another sign that the chancellor overestimated the market’s desire to absorb more sovereign debt issuance from the UK,’ she said.”
That was replaced by multiple quotes from Jones claiming a spike in gilt yields was fine and normal:
“He said investors always reacted to Budgets because they present a whole load of new information. ‘We’ve all got a bit of anxiety from what happened when Liz Truss was in government.’”
The article’s headline doesn’t reference Jones, so it just reads “Investors’ reaction to Budget ‘very different’ to Truss.” So it looks to a layman like an impartial observer’s view…
Note the article isn’t a live piece. BBC readers can’t see previous updates – just the brand new Labour-positive version. Wouldn’t be the first time the BBC has caved in to the slightest pressure from the Number 10 press office…
