A strange BBC press release

The BBC have just issued a somewhat odd press release reporting off camera remarks made by Sarah Teather, the higher education spokeswoman, after conducting an interview with Andrew Neil on the Daily Politics. The BBC operative, who distributed press releases round to print journalists, said it was being issued "on Andrew Neil's instruction". Maybe it's just me, but I think there's something uncomfortable about this. You decide...

LIB DEM CHAOS OVER COSY CONSENSUS

Leader’s office and frontbencher at odds over their tuition fees policy

Wednesday, September 19

In an interview with the Daily Politics, the Party’s Higher Education Spokeswoman, Sarah Teather, told Andrew Neil: Sarah Teather: “At the moment we are abolishing tuition fees but we are looking to review the policy and it will be slightly different at the next general election. I can’t say what it will be because we have a commission. We haven’t decided on the policy yet.”

Her comments are at odds with the Leader’s speech briefing paper handed to journalists this afternoon, the Liberal Democrats said their policy was to ‘scrap tuition fees’. It was used in the briefing as an example of how the Liberal Democrats are a radical alternative to the ‘Cosy Consensus’

After the interview, the BBC Daily Politics Presenter, Andrew Neil, showed her the briefing document and that’s when she said: “I’m just the Higher Education spokeswoman, no-one ever tells me anything”.

She was then seen by Andrew Neil, to head straight for Ed Davey, Ming Campbell’s Chief of Staff and was seen by Andrew Neil remonstrating with them.