Emily Maitlis has thanked fans their support and explained why she wasn’t presenting BBC2’s Newsnight last night, after viewers were shocked to see the host absent.
Her absence came after it was deemed her introduction to Dominic Cummings on Tuesday’s episode didn’t meet the required standards of due impartiality.
Taking to Twitter, Emily revealed she had asked to have the night off from hosting duties on BBC’s Newsnight.
Addressing her 330,000 Twitter followers, Maitlis thanked BBC colleague Katie Razzell for filling in for her.
Emily Maitlis has spoken out after Newsnight absence (Image: BBC)
She said: “So grateful to my friend and excellent colleague @katierazz for stepping in this evening . She did so because I asked for the night off -knowing tonight’s prog would be in the most excellent hands #newsnight.”
Emily was responding to Katie’s tweet, which hit out at claims that the BBC had made Emily take the night off.
Katie tweeted: “Just for the record, Emily @maitlishas not been asked by the BBC to take tonight off – and if I thought she had been, I certainly wouldn’t have agreed to present the show @BBCNewsnight.”
Emily tweeted again this morning to thank her fans for their support after viewers fumed over her shock Newsnight absence.
Katie Razzell replaced Emily Maitlis on last night’s Newsnight
She shared: “Been overwhelmed by all the kindness, messages – and support on here – and I’ve probably missed much of it. A big thank you from us all at #newsnight.”
Tuesday night’s episode of Newsnight saw Emily kick off the programme by saying “the country can see” Cummings had “broken the rules”.
Following Emily’s comments, the BBC said the programme should have made clear the remarks were “a summary of the questions we would examine” about the prime minister’s aide.
Emily also said the country were “shocked” the Prime Minister could not see Cummings had “broken the rules”.
And the public’s mood was one of “fury, contempt and anguish” and had made people who had stuck to the government’s Covid-19 rules “feel like fools”.
Emily Maitlis replaced for Newsnight episode after Cummings remarks
She continued: “The prime minister knows all this. But despite the resignation of one minister, growing unease from his backbenchers, a dramatic early warning from the polls and a deep national disquiet, Boris Johnson has chosen to ignore it.
“Tonight we consider what this blind loyalty tells us about the workings of Number 10.”
A statement from the BBC on Wednesdaysaid it had “reviewed the entirety of last night’s Newsnight, including the opening section”.
WARNING TAKEN FROM TWITTER CAPTION: Emily Maitlis breaks silence after she is ‘replaced’ on Newsnight over Cummings row LINK: https://twitter.com/maitlis/status/1265894540386242560
It continued: “While we believe the programme contained fair, reasonable and rigorous journalism, we feel that we should have done more to make clear the introduction was a summary of the questions we would examine, with all the accompanying evidence, in the rest of the programme,” it continued.
“As it was, we believe the introduction we broadcast did not meet our standards of due impartiality.”
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
