Labour complains to BBC over Stephen Doughty resignation

Labour has made an official complaint to the BBC after a shadow minister resigned live on one of its programmes.

MP Stephen Doughty quit the party's foreign affairs brief live on BBC Two's The Daily Politics as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was reshuffling his team.

The party has accused the BBC of orchestrating his resignation to ensure maximum "political impact".

Editor of BBC live political programmes, Robbie Gibb, said the allegation was "simply not the case".

Mr Doughty resigned from Labour's front bench during the third day of Mr Corbyn's shadow cabinet reshuffle.

Appearing on the Daily Politics, Mr Doughty - the MP for Cardiff South and Penarth - accused Mr Corbyn's office of telling "lies" about the reshuffle.

He said he decided to resign following the sacking of the party's Europe spokesman, Pat McFadden.

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Labour shadow cabinet in full

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However, Labour has now complained that the live resignation was an "unacceptable breach of the BBC's role and statutory obligations", saying Mr Corbyn had not been told about his resignation in advance.

"By the BBC's own account, BBC journalists and presenters proposed and secured the resignation of a shadow minister on air in the immediate run-up to Prime Minister's Questions, apparently to ensure maximum news and political impact," a party spokesman said.

"That was evidently done before any notice of resignation was sent to the Labour leader.

"Such orchestration of political controversy is an unacceptable breach of the BBC's role and statutory obligations."

Political narrative

In a letter to Labour, Mr Gibb said he rejected the suggestion that we "orchestrated and stage-managed the resignation of Stephen Doughty".

He said: "Your letter suggests that our decision to interview Mr Doughty in the run up to Prime Minister's Questions was designed to 'promote a particular political narrative'. This is simply not the case."

"Again I do not accept, in any way, the programme has breached its duty of impartiality and independence," he added.

Mr Doughty accused Mr Corbyn's senior aides of "smearing" him and insisted he sent his resignation letter to the leader before appearing on TV.