With his launch of the BBC white paper looming on Thursday, one might think John Whittingdale might have weighty broadcasting matters on his mind.
But the culture secretary – who is currently also pondering options for Channel 4’s future – still found time in his busy schedule to give a keynote speech at the Business of Sport conference in London on Wednesday morning.
So just what could have persuaded the minister to make room in his diary to speak at the £1,295 + VAT per ticket event?
The Rt Hon John Whittingdale OBE MP explaining why the #TelegraphBOS is important for the evolving sporting industry pic.twitter.com/mBptbSYFG3
— TelegraphB2BEvents (@TelB2BEvents) May 11, 2016
Culture Secretary @JWhittingdale is about to deliver a speech on the power of sport and its contribution to the economy #TelegraphBOS
— DCMS (@DCMS) May 11, 2016
Perhaps it had something to do with the organisers? The conference is run by the Telegraph, one of the papers that has led the charge in publishing leaked government plans for the BBC white paper.
In a strange twist, the event comes almost exactly a year after the Tory-supporting newspaper heralded the appointment of the seemingly amiable Whittingdale by calling it a “declaration of war” against the BBC.
Whittingdale would have denied such views – but the Telegraph’s front page on Wednesday will be handy in boosting his credentials as a BBC basher with Tory rightwingers. In any case, the minister seems more than eager to play ball.
