David Dimbleby – 2010 Comments on Gvt Minister Refusing to Appear on BBC’s Question Time with Alastair Campbell

The comments made on BBC 1’s Question Time by David Dimbleby on 27 May 2020.

This being the week of the Queen’s speech with the Government announcing its proposed legislation we would have expected to have a Government minister on the panel. Downing Street said that a Cabinet Minister was available for tonight and would join us but only on condition that our Labour panellist was not Alastair Campbell, but a Labour frontbencher and of course it is for us at Question Time to decide who should be on our panels, not for Downing Street. So we refused to replace Alastair Campbell which means we have no member
of the Government here tonight but I’m glad to say we have John Redwood here to represent the Conservative Party.