The BBC has said it is “urgently reviewing” comments made on air by newsreader Martine Croxall following Boris Johnson’s exit from the Tory leadership race.
The presenter was accused of breaching the broadcaster’s strict impartiality rules after she asked if she was “allowed to be this gleeful” during Sunday evening’s newspaper review on the BBC News channel, which came shortly after the former prime minister announced he would not be standing to reclaim his old job.
“Well this is all very exciting isn’t it?” she told viewers: “Am I allowed to be this gleeful? Well I am.”
Her comments – which aired around 90 minutes after Johnson’s announcement – attracted complaints from viewers on social media, claiming they displayed the host’s bias.
A statement from the broadcaster said: “BBC News is urgently reviewing last night’s edition of The Papers on the News Channel for a potential breach of impartiality.
“It is imperative that we maintain the highest editorial standards. We have processes in place to uphold our standards, and these processes have been activated.”
The Telegraph also reported Martine has been taken off air for an “undefined period”, although the BBC has not officially confirmed this.
The BBC would not verify this claim when contacted by HuffPost UK.
The former chancellor secured the overwhelming support of MPs and will be installed as PM without a vote of the party membership.
