Phillip Schofield – what did ITV know? The key questions as broadcaster’s bosses face MPs
Following Phillip Schofield’s dramatic exit from This Morning, ITV bosses are now set to face questions from MPs.
The broadcaster’s chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall will appear at a parliamentary committee this morning to answer questions about its approach to safeguarding and handling complaints.
Kevin Lygo, ITV‘s managing director for media and entertainment, and Kyla Mullins, the channel’s general counsel and company secretary, will also give evidence.
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‘I don’t want this to be a witch hunt’
Schofield admitted an “unwise but not illegal” affair with a younger male colleague, after weeks of speculation about a feud with his This Morning co-presenter Holly Willoughby.
The 61-year-old later clarified in an interview that the colleague was 20 when the relationship started, but they first met when the younger man was 15.
Given they were both consenting adults at the time Schofield says the relationship began, some have criticised the inquiry and the headlines the presenter’s departure from ITV has generated. Writing for The Times, presenter Jeremy Clarkson questioned the “berserk” response, saying Schofield is “only guilty of being what he said he was: gay”.
But the admission has raised concerns about the imbalance of power and prompted questions about how much ITV knew about the relationship – Schofield has insisted that neither bosses nor Willoughby were aware.
What did ITV know?
Following Schofield’s admission of the affair, ITV has said it investigated “rumours of a relationship” involving a younger employee – but the pair “categorically and repeatedly denied” the affair.
This was around the time the presenter, who has been married to his wife Stephanie Lowe since 1993, came out as gay with an announcement on This Morning, supported by Willoughby, in 2020.
In a statement, ITV said both Schofield and the male colleague were questioned in 2020 but both denied the “rumours”, as did the star’s agency, YMU – who have now dropped him.
Read more on Phillip Schofield:
What have we learned from star’s interviews?
The timeline of presenter’s ITV departure
“In addition, ITV spoke to a number of people who worked on This Morning and were not provided with, and did not find, any evidence of a relationship beyond hearsay and rumour,” the statement said.
It went on to say Schofield had “lied to people at ITV, from senior management to fellow presenters, to YMU, to the media and to others”.
However, former This Morning presenter Eamonn Holmes has accused the broadcaster of a “total cover-up”.
When asked by Sky News if mistakes were made in their 2020 investigation, Mr Lygo replied: “No.”
Who is Dame Carolyn McCall?
ITV chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall
Dame Carolyn became the first female boss of ITV at the end of 2017, moving to the broadcaster after leaving her role as chief executive of the EasyJet airline. Before that, she ran the Guardian Media Group.
She was awarded her damehood in 2016 for services to the airline industry.
Dame Carolyn has overseen ITV during a difficult period that has included Piers Morgan quitting Good Morning Britain, the axing of The Jeremy Kyle Show, and the suicides of two Love Island contestants and the show’s presenter Caroline Flack.
Read more:
Holly Willoughby’s This Morning return statement
This Morning editor says scores are being settled
Following the fall-out from Schofield’s affair admission, she instructed a barrister to carry out an external review of the facts surrounding the relationship.
Jane Mulcahy KC, of Blackstone Chambers, will conduct this.
“She will review our records and talk to people involved,” Dame Carolyn said in a letter sent to Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer, culture media and sport (CMS) committee chair Dame Caroline Dinenage, and Ofcom chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes. “This work will also consider our relevant processes and policies and whether we need to change or strengthen any.”
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What happens today?
Dame Carolyn, Mr Lygo and Ms Mullins will appear before the CMS committee to answer questions about the scandal.
MPs will want to know whether senior executives knew about the relationship, and how the younger colleague came to get the job on This Morning in the first place.
Were there systems in place to protect young members of staff from any potential manipulation or abuse of power from those higher up?
What were the circumstances surrounding the younger colleague’s move to Loose Women and, later on, his departure from ITV?
Whatever happens, Dame Caroline has assured the questioning won’t be a “witch hunt” against Schofield.
However, when asked by Sky News if she had concerns about ITV’s handling of the situation, she said: “The fact is that these big public service broadcasters have these gods of television, these incredibly powerful and successful celebrities who do have incredible influence and power, and my committee want to make sure that there are the right workplace practices in place, the right duty of care over junior staff members.
“They (celebrities) do have the potential power over other people’s careers, and we want to ensure that everything is in place that prevents that being abused in any way.”
The hearing is due to begin at 10am.
The dates for Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK have been announced, with the US president due to be welcomed by the King from 17 to 19 September.
Buckingham Palace also confirmed that President Trump and first lady Melania will be hosted by the King and Queen at Windsor Castle.
It was expected that the three-day state visit would take place in September after Mr Trump let slip earlier in April that he believed that was when his second “fest” was being planned for.
Windsor was also anticipated to be the location after the US president told reporters in the Oval Office that the letter from the King said Windsor would be the setting. Refurbishment works at Buckingham Palace also meant that Windsor was used last week for French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit.
This will be Mr Trump’s second state visit to the UK, an unprecedented gesture towards an American leader, having previously been invited to Buckingham Palace in 2019.
Donald Trump and Melania Trump posing with Charles and Camilla in 2019. Pic: Reuters
He has also been to Windsor Castle before, in 2018, but despite the considerable military pageantry of the day, and some confusion around inspecting the guard, it was simply for tea with Queen Elizabeth II.
Further details of what will happen during the three-day visit in September will be announced in due course.
On Friday, Sky News revealed it is now unlikely that the US president will address parliament, usually an honour given to visiting heads of state as part of their visit. Some MPs had raised significant concerns about him being given the privilege.
But the House of Commons will not be sitting at the time of Mr Trump’s visit as it will rise for party conference season on the 16 September, meaning the president will not be able to speak in parliament as President Macron did during his state visit this week. However, the House of Lords will be sitting.
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Labour MP: ‘Trump isn’t welcome here’
In February this year, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer presented the US president with the letter from the King inviting him to visit during a meeting at the White House.
After reading it, Mr Trump said it was a “great, great honour”, adding “and that says at Windsor – that’s really something”.
In February, Sir Keir Starmer revealed a letter from the King inviting Donald Trump to the UK. Pic: Reuters
In the letter, the King suggested they might meet at Balmoral or Dumfries House in Scotland first before the much grander state visit. However, it is understood that, although all options were explored, complexities in both the King and Mr Trump’s diaries meant it wasn’t possible.
Read more from Sky News:
Is the UK ready for a ‘Trump-fest’?
Elton and Jagger at royal banquet
King and Trump won’t hold private meeting
This week, it emerged that Police Scotland are planning for a summer visit from the US president, which is likely to see him visit one or both of his golf clubs in Aberdeenshire and Ayrshire, and require substantial policing resources and probably units to be called in from elsewhere in the UK.
Precedent for second-term US presidents, who have already made a state visit, is usually tea or lunch with the monarch at Windsor Castle, as was the case for George W Bush and Barack Obama.
A small plane has crashed at Southend Airport in Essex.
Essex Police said it was at the scene of a “serious incident”.
Images posted online showed huge flames and a large cloud of black smoke, with one witness saying they saw a “fireball”.
A police statement said: “We were alerted shortly before 4pm to reports of a collision involving one 12-metre plane.
“We are working with all emergency services at the scene now and that work will be ongoing for several hours.
“We would please ask the public to avoid this area where possible while this work continues.”
A huge fireball near the airport. Pic: Ben G
It has been reported that the plane involved in the incident is a Beech B200 Super King Air.
According to flight-tracking service Flightradar, it took off at 3.48pm and was bound for Lelystad, a city in the Netherlands.
One man, who was at Southend Airport with his family around the time of the incident, said the aircraft “crashed headfirst into the ground”.
John Johnson said: “About three or four seconds after taking off, it started to bank heavily to its left, and then within a few seconds of that happening, it more or less inverted and crashed.
“There was a big fireball. Obviously, everybody was in shock in terms of witnessing it. All the kids saw it and the families saw it.”
Mr Johnson added that he phoned 999 to report the crash.
Southend Airport said the incident involved “a general aviation aircraft”.
Four flights scheduled to take off from Southend this afternoon were cancelled, according to its website.
Flightradar data shows two planes that had been due to land at Southend were diverted to nearby airports London Gatwick and London Stansted.
Plumes of black smoke. Pic: UKNIP
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said four crews, along with off-road vehicles, have attended the scene.
Four ambulances and four hazardous area response team vehicles are also at the airport, as well as an air ambulance, the East of England Ambulance Service said.
Its statement described the incident as “still developing”.
Fire engines at the airport
David Burton-Sampson, the MP for Southend West and Leigh, posted on social media: “I am aware of an incident at Southend Airport. Please keep away and allow the emergency services to do their work.
“My thoughts are with everyone involved.”
Local councillor Matt Dent said on X: “At present all I know is that a small plane has crashed at the airport. My thoughts are with all those involved, and with the emergency services currently responding to the incident.”
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UK
Heidi Alexander says ‘fairness’ will be government’s ‘guiding principle’ when it comes to taxes at next budget
Another hint that tax rises are coming in this autumn’s budget has been given by a senior minister.
Speaking to Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander was asked if Sir Keir Starmer and the rest of the cabinet had discussed hiking taxes in the wake of the government’s failed welfare reforms, which were shot down by their own MPs.
Trevor Phillips asked specifically if tax rises were discussed among the cabinet last week – including on an away day on Friday.
Politics Hub: Catch up on the latest
Tax increases were not discussed “directly”, Ms Alexander said, but ministers were “cognisant” of the challenges facing them.
Asked what this means, Ms Alexander added: “I think your viewers would be surprised if we didn’t recognise that at the budget, the chancellor will need to look at the OBR forecast that is given to her and will make decisions in line with the fiscal rules that she has set out.
“We made a commitment in our manifesto not to be putting up taxes on people on modest incomes, working people. We have stuck to that.”
Ms Alexander said she wouldn’t comment directly on taxes and the budget at this point, adding: “So, the chancellor will set her budget. I’m not going to sit in a TV studio today and speculate on what the contents of that budget might be.
“When it comes to taxation, fairness is going to be our guiding principle.”
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Afterwards, shadow home secretary Chris Philp told Phillips: “That sounds to me like a barely disguised reference to tax rises coming in the autumn.”
He then went on to repeat the Conservative attack lines that Labour are “crashing the economy”.
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Chris Philp also criticsed the government’s migration deal with France
Mr Philp then attacked the prime minister as “weak” for being unable to get his welfare reforms through the Commons.
Discussions about potential tax rises have come to the fore after the government had to gut its welfare reforms.
Sir Keir had wanted to change Personal Independence Payments (PIP), but a large Labour rebellion forced him to axe the changes.
With the savings from these proposed changes – around £5bn – already worked into the government’s sums, they will now need to find the money somewhere else.
The general belief is that this will take the form of tax rises, rather than spending cuts, with more money needed for military spending commitments, as well as other areas of priority for the government, such as the NHS.
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