Speaking at the Radio Festival in Cambridge yesterday, chairman of the BBC Gavyn Davies argued that the corporation should not face fines when programme standards fall, but should instead be free to sack or demote the staff responsible.

Fining the BBC, he argued, would be a waste of licence fee money.

Editor of the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, Rod Liddle, has defended plans to host a debate from the festival between fundamentalist Muslim cleric Sheikh Abu Hamza al-Masri and leader of the BNP Nick Griffin.