Jeremy Hunt: Parliament could have say in BBC Trust chair

The culture secretary, Jeremy Hunt, has said he supports the idea of giving parliament a formal say in who should chair the BBC Trust, in order to protect the broadcaster's independence.

Hunt, who is due to interview candidates for the job in the coming weeks, has questioned whether it is right that the decision is purely a ministerial one, given the importance of the role.

Speaking at a Voice of the Listener and Viewer conference in London last night, he said: "I'm a very strong believer in parliament having more involvement in the selection process for the person who runs the BBC Trust."

He added: "The BBC Trust is responsible for the impartiality of the BBC. [The job of chairman] is a role which is absolutely fundamental to our democracy.

"Is it right that it should be a ministerial appointment? Should we consider that being a parliamentary appointment?"

The idea was raised late last year by Labour shadow culture secretary Ivan Lewis, who said the Conservatives' "ideological contempt" for the BBC meant the appointment of Trust chairman was a very political move.

Hunt has already announced that the successful applicant will be grilled by the cross-party culture, media and sport select committee before getting the job - but the committee has no power of veto and can only offer recommendations.

An independent panel has concluded its interviews and submitted a shortlist of candidates, who Hunt will interview over the coming weeks and make a recommendation to the prime minister. He said the list was "extremely strong" to replace Sir Michael Lyons, who steps down in April.

As well as a new chairman of the BBC Trust, Hunt said he also wanted the BBC to follow the lead of FTSE-listed companies and recruit an independent, non-executive chairman of its own, who would offer advice and support to director-general Mark Thompson and the rest of the BBC board.

He said: "One of the problems at the moment with the BBC Trust is there is a confusion between its role as regulator and as cheerleader. It has to do both those jobs at once.

"I don't think the director-general knows quite was his relationship is with the chairman of the BBC [Trust]. Is this someone who's there to give advice in difficult moments or is this someone who's there to tell him what he may and may not do?"

BSkyB takeover

Hunt last night insisted he was taking an impartial view in his assessment of the BSkyB takeover bid by News Corporation.

Concerns were raised about his attitude to the takeover after he gave an interview to Broadcast magazine in which he said: "Rather than worry about Rupert Murdoch owning another TV channel, what we should recognise is that he has probably done more to create variety and choice in British TV than any other single person ... we need to encourage that kind of investment."

The culture secretary told the Voice of the Listener and Viewer conference: "I stand by my comments. We do need to encourage people who are prepared to invest more in innovation. This isn't just Rupert Murdoch.

"I'm not going to get drawn into an extensive analysis of my views on Rupert Murdoch right now, for obvious reasons. I don't think this is the right time to do it.

"I want to make sure this is a totally transparent and fair process. I have sought independent views on what I'm doing at every stage of the process. I have tried at every step on the way to be totally impartial, totally transparent and totally fair. I think that is the right way to approach this very difficult decision."

Ofcom has recommended that the bid be referred to the Competition Commission and Hunt is waiting to hear back from both Ofcom and the Office of Fair Trading about a number of concessions offered by News Corp to stay within fair competition limits and avoid referral.

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