Gavyn Davies, the chairman of the BBC's board of governors, defended the corporation at the Hutton inquiry yesterday.

He said the BBC could not back down because it would have run the risk of being seen as a "state broadcaster".

Davies said the governors did not request copies of Andrew Gilligan's notes - insisting they backed the report on the basis of confidence in news managers.

"The public was looking to the board of governors to say to the government the BBC is not the state broadcaster," he said.