" *
" ^The BBC managed to make two howlers in the space of a week. First, they told Labour and the SNP that the Andrew Neil interviews would be conducted with all party leaders, when in fact they had not actually got the Tories agreement for Neil to interview Boris Johnson. Neil's interviews with Jeremy Corbyn and Nicola Sturgeon were aired, and the Corbyn interview in particular generated negative headlines in all the big UK papers, a fact the BBC live programmes editor Rob Burley was happy to boast about on Twitter* .
" They then managed to compound the error in wake of the terrorist attack on London Bridge on Friday. Having previously stated that Johnson would not get to be interviewed on the Andrew Marr Show until he agreed to be interviewed by Neil first, they went back on that decision following the London Bridge attack, saying it was now "in the public interest" for Johnson to appear on Marr .
" *Why they thought it was so essential for the public to see a transparent opportunist like Johnson blame Labour for the terrorist attack in the most crass way possible is anyone's guess. But it only served to compound the view that the BBC is run by people who are incapable of neutrality in this election. "The problem for the BBC is that it is easier to lose trust than it is to gain it. Especially if this election goes Johnson's way, many on the left of politics will never forgive the BBC for its coverage. If you doubt that, see the Yes side in Scotland following the 2014 referendum^ .
Ben Wray, Common A.M.