Tories turn the screw on BBC

The Prime Minister yesterday appeared to throw his weight behind the weekend's attack on the BBC by Jonathan Aitken, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, as it became clear that the onslaught was the first strike in a co-ordinated assault on the corporation.

The Tory high command queued up to support Mr Aitken's speech attacking the "Blair Broadcasting Corporation", and to rally round the beleaguered party chairman, Jeremy Hanley. Conservative Central Office's next expected target is the BBC's decision to provide live coverage of Labour's special conference on Clause IV at the end of April. The conflict is threatening to turn into a full-scale stand-off of the sort the corporation faced with Harold Wilson, when he was Labour prime minister, and Norman Tebbit, when he was Tory party chairman. Senior Tory sources said John Major was "entirely comfortable" with Mr Aitken's remarks about bias.

But Douglas Hurd, the Foreign Secretary, stopped short of endorsing them in an interview with the Independent. He said: "I think there is in many of our institutions and many of our media a bias against achievement. I don't think it's a bias against a particular government. It's a bias against people who are trying to do things. It's a bias in favour of criticism."

John Gummer, the Environment Secretary, had earlier backed Mr Aitken's attack on the BBC presenter John Hum-phrys: "There is a distinction between tough questioning and the kind of questioning which doesn't give you the chance to answer and the kind of questioning which reveals particular views." Under pressure from Labour in the Commons, Stephen Dorrell, the National Heritage Secretary, said Mr Aitken had been "absolutely right" to urge the BBC to "seek better in the future to deliver the obligation that is imposed upon them by the legislation".

Mr Aitken's speech was made five days after he was joined by a new political adviser, John Bercow - a close associate of Dr Julian Lewis, deputy director of research at Central Office. Dr Lewis is known for aggressive campaigning based on detailed research. Sources said the decision to cover the Clause IV conference would be among Central Office's next targets. Tory strategists believe Labour timed the conference partly with an eye to the 4 May local elections.

The programme was condemned last night by Michael Fabricant, a Tory member of the Commons National Heritage Select Committee: "Clearly this event is going to be stage-managed by Labour headquarters and will in effect be a four-hour party political broadcast, transmitted by the BBC on behalf of the Labour Party. At best it's crass, at worst it's sinister."

The BBC fought back vigorously, describing the criticisms as ludicrous. Samir Shah, head of BBC political programmes, said: "The event is a major event in the history of one of Britain's main political parties.''

Inside Parliament, page 7

Mark Lawson, page 15