Wark's Labour links- now Tory leaders demand action by BBC

In a move which threatens to derail Wark’s London-based career and transfer the row on to the UK stage ahead of the general election, Tory chairman Liam Fox is calling on the Corporation to take action following revelations that the First Minister and his family enjoyed holidays at Wark’s Majorcan villa.

Fox has written to the BBC Board of Governors claiming it was wrong for a supposedly impartial journalist to have such close links with senior Labour figures, demanding an inquiry and "appropriate action".

Last night, a source close to the governors said the Conservatives’ complaint would be taken very seriously. "The board regard themselves as very much separate from the management of the BBC and will be wanting to examine the issues closely."

Wark and McConnell continued to insist they had done nothing wrong. The First Minister’s spokesman even suggested the two families would have no problems holidaying together in future.

Yesterday, it also emerged that Wark and her husband have twice stayed overnight at McConnell’s grace and favour residence, Bute House in Edinburgh.

And Lord Fraser of Carmyllie, the peer who conducted last year’s inquiry into the Holyrood parliament’s massive cost overrun, said he should have been told of McConnell’s close relationship with Wark at the time.

The BBC refused Lord Fraser access to tapes made by Wark Clements, the production company co-run by Wark, which is making a documentary about the parliament building.

He said: "I was under the impression at the time that he [McConnell] was making all efforts to allow the tapes to be seen. But that was before I knew of the closeness of this relationship.

"If he was that close and personal with Kirsty Wark, then why wasn’t I told? I should have been told."

The row over the close links between Wark and McConnell was ignited last week when Scotland on Sunday published a picture of them and their families on a New Year break. It then emerged the First Minister and his family had previously holidayed there in January 2003.

Fox told Scotland on Sunday: "We have had our worries about the impartiality of Newsnight for some time. Such closeness of senior broadcasters to top Labour ministers this close to a general election is entirely unacceptable. I will be asking the BBC governors to investigate and take appropriate action as a matter of urgency."

It is the second complaint by the Tories against a Newsnight presenter. Allegations of bias in a report by Jeremy Paxman are also being investigated ahead of the expected May poll.

The Board of Governors has the power to rule whether Wark’s situation would be a breach of BBC rules on impartiality. If they believe that rules have been broken then they will order BBC management to devise an action plan to address the problem.

A spokesman for the BBC in London said they would not be making any comment until they had received the letter.

A spokesman for the First Minister said: "Both families have been friends for 15-20 years and it has never compromised either family in any way. It would be a sad day for Scotland if people had to start abandoning their friendships because of a frenzy from opposition parties and some sections of the media."

Asked whether Wark and McConnell had any plans to go on holidays together in the future, he said: "They may well do but that’s entirely up to them and not a matter for me or the press."

A spokeswoman for Wark said that the presenter did not believe there was any need to place distance between the families.

Meanwhile, the SNP is preparing a "dossier" on BBC Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland news show which it claims marginalises opposition parties.