Pay attention. Alan Rusbridger has been reading The Plot, written by Nadine Dorries. In it, he has found a claim from Nads that Robbie Gibb, then working in No 10, tried to make her appoint Lord (Stephen) Gilbert of Panteg as Chair of Ofcom, rather than Lord (Michael) Grade.
Nads says it was hard to believe that the Dowden-appointed interview panel, made up of Michael Simmonds (Robbie Gibb's brother-in-law) and Michael Prescott (described by the FT as a friend of Robbie Gibb, and now a member of the BBC's Editorial Standards Committee), and led by Sue Gray, had marked Gilbert and Grade as equally appointable.
She recommended Grade be appointed, but says, en route to No 10, the advice note was changed to favour Gilbert. Only a frantic phone call to Boris Johnson prevented Gilbert getting the job.
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