CULTURE Secretary Michelle Donelan has defended BBC board member Robbie Gibb for telling journalists not to cast Brexit in a “negative light”.

Recalling Newsnight's coverage, Maitlis said: "It might take our producers five minutes to find 60 economists who feared Brexit and five hours to find a sole voice who espoused it. But by the time we went on air we simply had one of each; we presented this unequal effort to our audience as balance. It wasn't."

Emily Maitlis has been widely praised for her criticism of the BBC's coverage of Brexit. / “It might take our producers five minutes to find 60 economists who feared Brexit and five hours to find a sole voice who espoused it," she said. “But by the time we went on air we simply had one of each; we presented this unequal effort to our audience as balance. It wasn’t.”

Emily Maitlis has turned her attentions to the Tory’s central Brexit pledge, which took a couple of seconds to fall apart, and less than a minute to demolish entirely.

Ex-BBC journalist also argued the media failing to tackle the impact of leaving the EU “feels like a conspiracy against the British people”. / Emily Maitlis has criticised the BBC for “both-sideism” in its coverage of Brexit – suggesting its attempts to hear both sides of the argument led to “superficial balance”.

‘I do think this is rehashing a rather stale debate,’ says head of powerful foreign affairs committee – after Russia report found government ignored potential interference in 2016 vote.

‘It is arguably your political incompetence that got you here,’ Newsnight presenter suggests.

'You whipped up hatred and fear with a language like that. You know what it's like to face abuse'

FORMER BBC journalist Jon Sopel has said the BBC “ducked” reporting on the full consequences of Brexit after it was accused of having a bias in favour of the UK staying in the EU.