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Disgraced MP suggests BBC and ITV focus too much on ‘scandal and outrage’

08 Nov 2021 3 minute read
Rob Roberts MP. Photo by David Woolfall is licensed under CC BY 3.0

A disgraced MP has suggested that the BBC and ITV focus too much on “scandal and outrage”.

Rob Roberts, who represents Delyn, and was suspended from Parliament for six weeks after he was found he had sexually harassed a member of his staff, has written to both broadcasters asking for more “balance”.

Roberts, who currently sits as an independent in the House of Commons, but has been given his Conservative membership back after serving a 12-week suspension from the party, has suggested they “do a feature on the good work that MPs do across the country”.

He complained about what he called a “one-sided situation” and said he hoped they would give his idea “due consideration”.

The politician was found by the to have breached its sexual misconduct policy by the Independent Expert Panel after he repeatedly propositioned a male aide, arranging one-on-one dinners with him and telling him that he should be “less alluring”.

The panel upheld complaints about his “repeated and unwanted” sexual advances. He also invited a 21-year-old female intern to “fool around”.

In a post on social media, Roberts wrote: “Balance is important. We live in particularly febrile times, with much of the public discourse driven by creating scandal and outrage.

“Often it is justified, sometimes it is not. But one thing that is absolutely the case is that there is a lack of balance.

‘Great job’ 

He added: “I know a lot of MPs. There are also many I haven’t met. The vast majority of MPs that I have met care deeply for their constituencies, want to do a great job to improve the lives of their constituents, and consider public service to be a daily privilege.

“Members of Parliament do a huge amount of good work in their communities up and down the country. MPs of ALL parties have made huge differences in the lives of constituents.

“I have today written to representatives from the BBC and ITV to ask them to do a feature on the good work that MPs do across the country, with their regional broadcasts highlighting a different local member of Parliament each day to cover all of the MPs in their region.

“In Wales, that would mean coverage of the good work being done across the length and breadth of Wales by our 40 MPs, so would take a couple of months of doing it for 10 minutes each weeknight on the evening news.

“It is important that people see the good work that MPs of all colours do across the country, and hear from some of the constituents whose lives have been changed for the better.

“I sincerely hope that both the BBC and ITV take this idea on board and give it due consideration to bring just a little bit of balance to a very one-sided situation that is leading to MPs receiving threats and abuse on a daily basis. Balance is important.”


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Mab Meirion
Mab Meirion
3 years ago

He needs his wiring checked…

Ed Jones
Ed Jones
3 years ago
Reply to  Mab Meirion

And his internet search history!

Valerie Matthews
Valerie Matthews
3 years ago

I really am at a loss at the bare faced cheek of these people! You do not want Scandal? Well. BEHAVE!

Mr Williams
Mr Williams
3 years ago

Has he no shame at all???

CJPh
CJPh
3 years ago

Cmon mun

Y Cymro
Y Cymro
3 years ago

This man has no shame. If I were the police I’d put a ankle tag on him. He’s a threat and should be monitored.

Gareth Wyn Jones
Gareth Wyn Jones
3 years ago
Reply to  Y Cymro

He is known to the Heddlu, had a fracas with ex wife a few years ago, black eyes were involved allegedly

Y Cymro
Y Cymro
3 years ago

I’ll retract my statement. Replace that ankle tag for a pair of leg & hand cuffs .And the only bars he should enjoy is not Westminster’s but Wormwood Scrubs.

Gareth Wyn Jones
Gareth Wyn Jones
3 years ago

He has less than 860 majority, will he contest the next election so you think, or will he slink away?

Y Cymro
Y Cymro
3 years ago

I want him to run again. It’ll make it much more sweeter when he loses his deposit and leaves with his tail between his legs humiliated.. Just deserts is the order of the day. #Karma

Huw Davies
Huw Davies
3 years ago

To paraphrase the late Mandy Rice-Davies, from Llandybie, ‘He would say that, wouldn’t he.’

Rhosddu
Rhosddu
3 years ago
Reply to  Huw Davies

Well, I’m amazed he had the brass neck to say it. I was open-mouthed in disbelief reading what he’d written.

Siarl
Siarl
3 years ago

We expect MPs to do good things, that’s why they are elected. It’s not news when they do their job, it’s news when they do wrong .

Steve Duggan
Steve Duggan
3 years ago

The media focuses on the scandal and outrage along with constant corruption because Westminster and in particular the Tories are full of it ! Sleaze is a byword for Tory these days – what does he expect ?

Notta Bott
Notta Bott
3 years ago

It’s funny considering both actually avoid scrutiny of the Westminster lot especially BBC

hdavies15
hdavies15
3 years ago
Reply to  Notta Bott

BBC is the mouthpiece of the Establishment, while ITV has flashes of aggressive journalism but tends to pull its horns in quickly. Even the odious Piers did do a good job briefly but ended up as a bit of an on screen car crash !

stuart stanton
stuart stanton
3 years ago

Called out for his behaviour by Keir Starmer in Westminster yesterday, Delyn Tories should be ashamed of themselves.

Gareth Thomas
Gareth Thomas
3 years ago
Reply to  stuart stanton

This man has no shame, is not embarrassed and should have lost his job. He will stay as long as he is able to because he is on a very inflated salary considering his contribution to his constituency. He is out for what he can get. But where is the constituency party in all this why haven’t they got rid of this odious little person?

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