‘We’re here to tear down the walls that stand in your way!’ – Editorial Director Michael Booker

Bemoaning the fact the staff working at the national broadcaster didn’t reflect “the country as a whole” he said the focus for recruitment now had to be “the northern working class.”

Reading that in the paper was such a shock I fell out of the tin bath I was sat in and rolled dangerously towards the open fire. As I dried my flat cap and tried to calm the poor whippet, I reflected that finally, someone had said it out loud.But by the end of the same week his words seemed a little hollow.

There was news from the BBC’s northern headquarters in Salford – the kind of place where you’d think working class northerners would, you know, thrive – that the atmosphere had become ‘funereal.’

Why so gloomy?

Well, it was because of a meeting of 200 staff at Gary Neville’s Manchester hotel (no, I’m not sure why they were there either) where they chewed over the previous day’s news that changes were afoot at the Beeb’s northern HQ and voluntary redundancies were being sought.

Now, of course all media businesses are facing the pressure to evolve with news and sport platforms changing quicker and more frequently than ever before.But at the end of the day these places are about people – the ones consuming the news or sport – and those producing it.

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I hope it won’t be, but the news from Salford could mean that opportunities for the northern working class could end up being limited even more. And, as Mr Shah suggests, things aren’t easy to start with if you are from an unfashionable part of the country.

That’s because whatever you may think, Britain is still a ‘what school are you from’ place where damning judgements are made about your prospects on first impression.

Dare to drop an aitch and you could be discounted before the end of t’job interview.Of course, people from similar backgrounds to you and me do get to the front of the queue for other ‘opportunities’ life throws up.

For instance, you can bet your life – or the lives of your sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters – that certain people won’t be so choosy who gets the ‘opportunity’ if it comes to conscription on the front line if we end up in the World War some politicians appear to be pushing us towards.

After a limp attempt at levelling up by the last government the new lot came in boasting that with working class northerners in the cabinet things would soon change. I’m not holding my breath.

All this is why meritocracies like GB News matter.GB News is, and always will be, open to all.In fact, it is spelled out in key lines from our Editorial Charter.

It states: ‘We exist to serve all of Britain, its rich culture, history, breathtaking beauty, timeless heritage, and, most importantly, all its people.

‘We take pride in shining a light on the creativity and resilience that make Britain extraordinary.

‘We believe in the potential of our communities and the greatness that resides in each person.

’That belief goes for people who work here and the audience we serve, across all platforms.We don’t deal in lazy stereotypes about the people and provinces of this country and never will.

We are and always will be Britain’s news channel.

And we’re here to tear down the walls, red or any other colour for that matter, that stand in your way.

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