Phillip Schofield: ITV boss denies turning ‘blind eye’ to former This Morning presenter’s ‘deeply inappropriate’ affair
ITV bosses have denied turning “a blind eye” to Phillip Schofield’s “deeply inappropriate” affair with a junior colleague, telling MPs they would have taken action had they been presented with evidence and not “rumours”.
Dame Carolyn McCall, the broadcaster’s chief executive, faced questions on Schofield’s departure from This Morning alongside managing director Kevin Lygo and general counsel Kyla Mullins, during a culture, media and sport committee session in parliament.
They told the hearing that both Schofield and the younger male colleague, referred to as Person X, “repeatedly denied” having a relationship until the presenter’s shock admission in May, and pushed back against claims it was an “open secret” – as made by people including former Good Morning Britain presenter Piers Morgan.
Dame Carolyn said bosses “were repeatedly told nothing was happening”, and both men denied it “both formally and informally”, with Person X being questioned on 12 occasions over a period of time.
“There was only hearsay and rumour and speculation,” ITV’s chief executive said. “Nobody on the board would have turned a blind eye to something as serious as this.”
If evidence had emerged about the relationship, bosses “would have acted very swiftly”, she said.
During the session, the ITV bosses also responded to allegations of a “toxic” environment on ITV’s daytime shows, and faced questions about other issues such as the suicides of Love Island contestants and presenter Caroline Flack, and allegations about “abuse” and “bullying” on The X Factor.
Singer Rebecca Ferguson recently hit out over allegations of ‘abuse’ on The X Factor. Pic: Ken McKay/Talkback Thames/Shutterstock
The hearing was called after Schofield, 61, resigned from ITV and admitted to the “unwise but not illegal” affair which started when Person X was 20. The presenter was subsequently dropped by his talent agency, YMU.
Dame Carolyn told MPs that the “imbalance of power, the imbalance of dynamics” made the relationship “deeply inappropriate”.
ITV bosses deny NDAs and gagging orders
The hearing was told the matter was looked into at around the time when Schofield came out as gay on This Morning in February 2020, supported by his then co-presenter Holly Willoughby.
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Dame Carolyn confirmed Schofield has been “receiving counselling” since his exit from the show and that she is “very concerned” about his welfare.
She also confirmed there is “no gagging order or NDA” to stop Person X from speaking out about the situation, and denied he was given a “pay-off” when he left ITV. The hearing was told he received a standard redundancy payment.
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Schofield’s interviews explained
The ITV bosses were also asked about how the young man came to work at ITV. MPs heard he applied for work experience and listed Schofield as a family friend, but this was not that unusual and the application did not ring “alarm bells”.
Person X carried out work experience at This Morning for about two weeks when he was 19, and “impressed people” before he was later offered a longer-term fixed contract, the politicians were told.
ITV boss is no stranger to drama – but is she aware of everything happening behind the scenes?
Being the big boss Dame Carolyn McCall has had to steer ITV through a sizeable chunk of off-screen drama – from Piers Morgan quitting and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? host Jeremy Clarkson’s controversial columns, to the axing of Jeremy Kyle and Love Island’s post-show care.
She is no stranger to helping the channel ride out the headlines, and – subject to more than two hours of questioning from MPs – she claimed she welcomed the opportunity to “set out some of the facts” of what’s been happening at ITV.
She has needed to. ITV bosses tried persistently, she claimed, to find out what was going on between former This Morning star Phillip Schofield and a young runner.
The broadcaster’s argument about why no action was taken effectively boiled down to: how can you properly investigate with no concrete evidence?
Schofield’s fragile mental state surrounding his coming out as gay was also cited as a reason they felt they had to tread carefully. There was a focus on welfare, which is no doubt a key concern, and particularly in recent years after the death of Love Island presenter Caroline Flack.
Accusations that the runner in question had been made to sign a non-disclosure agreement were dismissed, while a “pay-off” that has been speculated about was explained as a standard redundancy payment after the COVID pandemic.
Is there a toxic working environment at This Morning? The bosses insisted no, and presented a rosy picture of how staff, when surveyed, gave glowing assessments of their employer. Whistleblowing numbers were widely displayed in staff toilets, they said, and in lifts, and every effort is made to make sure staff feel comfortable enough to express their concerns.
Professional boundaries were crossed, the power balance was “inappropriate”, Dame Carolyn admitted.
But her shocked reaction to claims brought up that viewers, on occasion, were referred to as “Tower Block Traceys” in production meetings was indicative of the fact that while she is across policy on a corporate level, management are unlikely to be aware of what’s being said further down the food chain.
Clearly, there is a disconnect there.
Is there a ‘toxic’ culture at This Morning?
Later in the session, MPs asked about allegations of a toxic culture at This Morning, and Dame Carolyn described these as “deeply” disappointing.
She confirmed the show has received two complaints about bullying or harassment in five years, and said these were “both taken very seriously”. One of these was from the show’s former resident doctor Dr Ranj Singh, who raised concerns about “bullying and discrimination” and afterwards said he felt like he was “managed out” for whistleblowing.
“It deeply disappoints me but we do not recognise that at This Morning, we have tangible evidence to tell you where the vast majority of people at daytime at This Morning are extremely engaged and very motivated,” Dame Carolyn said.
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MP John Nicholson told the panel he had received many messages from employees past and present at ITV talking about the bullying culture at the broadcaster, with one describing daytime TV as “particularly toxic”.
Dame Carolyn replied: “They’re very disappointing to hear. Deeply distressing. I’ve said we’ve had two official complaints, both of them investigated – it does not fill me with anything but sorrow.”
She also described comments from This Morning editor Martin Frizell as “foolish”, after he referred to aubergines when asked by Sky News about allegations of a “toxic” work environment on the programme.
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This Morning boss: ‘Do you like aubergine?’
“I think Martin has made a mistake, I think he knows he made a mistake, I don’t think he intended to say that. It was a foolish comment; an ill-advised comment, I absolutely agree,” she said.
An independent review into the facts by a barrister, commissioned by ITV, was also discussed during the hearing, with Dame Carolyn saying: “There will be things to learn.”
The barrister will review complaints made since 1 January 2016, and consider whether steps taken to deal with them were “appropriate and adequate”.
The review is expected to be completed by the end of September.
The session ended with chairwoman Dame Caroline Dinenage saying the committee wants to be confident that “ITV isn’t letting star power and favouritism damage the lives or careers of those working there”.
Dame Carolyn responded by saying that ITV takes “every allegation about our culture seriously, but I think it would be very wrong to depict ITV as having an issue”.
UK
Tulip Siddiq: Labour MP accuses Bangladesh’s leader of ‘orchestrated campaign’ to damage her reputation
Former minister Tulip Siddiq has accused the leader of Bangladesh of conducting an “orchestrated campaign” to damage her reputation and “interfere with UK politics”, according to a new legal letter seen by Sky News.
The Labour MP also said comments made by Professor Muhammad Yunus in a Sky News interview have prejudiced her right to a fair investigation, meaning the ongoing corruption inquiries into her should be dropped.
In March, the chief adviser – who is effectively the country’s interim leader – told Sky News that Ms Siddiq “has so many (sic) wealth left behind here” and “should be made responsible”.
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Bangladesh’s leader talks to Sky News
Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has opened several investigations into Ms Siddiq alleging corruption in connection with the government of her aunt Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted as the country’s prime minister last year.
In the new correspondence sent today to Professor Yunus and the ACC, lawyers for the former minister write: “The time has now come for the chief adviser and the ACC to abandon their wholly misconceived and unlawful campaign to smear Ms Siddiq’s reputation and interfere with her public service.”
Sky News has approached the chief adviser and the ACC for comment.
The Bangladeshi authorities have previously said they have evidence to back up their claims of corruption and will pursue action through the country’s courts.
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The Tulip Siddiq accusations explained
Speaking to Sky News on Monday, Ms Siddiq said: “I will not be allowing them to drag me into their world of dirty politics and nothing is going to stop me from pursuing the job that I was elected to do with an overwhelming majority, which is representing the people of Hampstead and Highgate.
“So they need to stop this political vendetta, this smear campaign, and this malicious persecution right from the beginning.”
The MP had requested a meeting with the Bangladeshi leader during an official visit to the UK earlier this month to “clear up” any misunderstandings.
But this was turned down by the chief adviser, who said he did not want to “interrupt a legal procedure”.
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MP says arrest warrant is ‘smear campaign’
In the new legal letter, lawyers for Ms Siddiq say the interim leader had already unfairly influenced the inquiries through previous comments.
“The copious briefings to the media, the failure to respond to our letters, the failure to even ask to meet with and question Ms Siddiq during their recent visit to the United Kingdom are impossible to justify and completely inconsistent with a fair, lawful and serious investigation,” reads the letter.
The correspondence also sets a deadline of 30 June 2025 for the Bangladeshi authorities to reply by, stating that “in the absence of a full and proper response… Ms Siddiq will consider this matter closed”.
A former Nobel Prize winning economist, Professor Muhammad Yunus became interim leader of Bangladesh last August after weeks of deadly protests forced Sheikh Hasina from power.
He has pledged to root out corruption and recover alleged stolen wealth before holding votes to elect a permanent administration.
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Tulip Siddiq questioned over Bangladesh corruption
Last month, Professor Yunus banned the Awami League – the political party still led by Sheikh Hasina – from standing in the coming elections.
That led to criticism from those still loyal to the former prime minister, with protests also sparking in the country over jobs, pay and planned reforms.
Earlier this year, it was revealed that Tulip Siddiq had lived in several London properties that had links back to the Awami League.
She referred herself to the prime minister’s standards adviser Sir Laurie Magnus who said he had “not identified evidence of improprieties” but added it was “regrettable” Ms Siddiq had not been more alert to the “potential reputational risks” of the ties to her aunt.
Ms Siddiq said continuing in her role would be “a distraction” for the government but insisted she had done nothing wrong.
Sheikh Hasina is currently standing trial in absentia in Dhaka over alleged killings during last summer’s civil unrest.
Asked by Sky News if she had any regrets about links to the Awami league, Ms Siddiq said: “The main thing I would say to you, I’m very proud to be the MP for Hampstead and Highgate. I was born in London, I grew up in London. I went to school here and now I’m an MP here.”
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Sheikh Hasina pictured in 2023. Pic: AP/Yomiuri Shimbun
In March, Sky News revealed that UK investigators could assist with probes into alleged grand corruption during Hasina’s time in power.
Staff from the National Crime Agency visited Bangladesh in October and November as part of initial work to support the interim government in the country.
Last month, the NCA confirmed it had secured a “freezing order” against a property in north London linked to Ms Siddiq’s family.
She denies all the allegations – and sources close to the MP say the authorities have been sending correspondence to an address in Dhaka that has no connection with her.
A “rapid” national investigation into NHS maternity services has been launched by the government.
The announcement comes after Health Secretary Wes Streeting met families who have lost babies and amid the ongoing investigations at some NHS trusts into maternity care failings.
The investigation in England is intended to provide truth to families suffering harm, as well as driving urgent improvements to care and safety, as part of efforts to ensure “no parent or baby is ever let down again”.
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The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) welcomed the government’s announcement and said maternity services were “at, or even beyond, breaking point”.
Last week, the NHS regulator said maternity and neonatal services at two Leeds hospitals had been rated inadequate over safety issues.
Mr Streeting, who was speaking at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) conference in London, apologised on behalf of the NHS for what families had been through and said it was “clear something is going wrong”.
He added: “For the past year, I have been meeting bereaved families from across the country who have lost babies or suffered serious harm during what should have been the most joyful time in their lives.
“What they have experienced is devastating – deeply painful stories of trauma, loss, and a lack of basic compassion – caused by failures in NHS maternity care that should never have happened.
“Their bravery in speaking out has made it clear: we must act – and we must act now.”
Mr Streeting said families have had to “fight for truth and justice” and had described being “ignored, gaslit, lied to, manipulated and damaged further by the inability for a trust to simply be honest with them that something has gone wrong”.
The investigation will consist of two parts.
Wes Streeting speaking during the RCOG conference. Pic: PA
The first will investigate up to 10 of the most concerning maternity and neonatal units, including Sussex, in the coming weeks to give affected families answers as quickly as possible, according to the Department of Health.
The second will be a “system-wide” look at maternity and neonatal care, uniting lessons from past inquiries to create one clear set of actions designed to improve NHS care.
A National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce will be chaired by Mr Streeting and made up of experts and bereaved families.
The investigation will begin this summer and report back by December.
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Sir Jim Mackey, chief executive of NHS England, said: “This rapid national investigation must mark a line in the sand for maternity care – setting out one set of clear actions for NHS leaders to ensure high quality care for all.”
Dr Ranee Thakar, president of the RCOG, said: “The maternity workforce is on its knees, with many now leaving the profession.”
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RCM chief executive Gill Walton said: “Everyone involved in maternity services – the midwifery community, obstetricians, anaesthetists, sonographers and, of course, the women and families in their care – knows that maternity services are at, or even beyond, breaking point.
“This renewed focus and commitment by the health secretary to deliver change is welcome, and we will do everything we can to support him in doing so.”
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