BBC chairman criticises Emily Maitlis’ Newsnight comments on Dominic Cummings

Emily Maitlis started Newsnight by saying ‘the country’ could see Dominic Cummings had broken lockdown rules and was ‘shocked’ the government could not. Photograph: Jane Barlow/PA

The BBC’s chairman has said he believes Emily Maitlis was “wrong” in her Newsnight coverage of Dominic Cummings’ visit to Barnard Castle in 2020, as he set out his blueprint for improving the broadcaster.

Richard Sharp criticised Maitlis, who has since left the broadcaster, for starting the programme by saying “the country” could see that Cummings had broken lockdown rules “and is shocked the government cannot”.