At a time when there is a Tory Prime Minister and a Tory Secretary of State at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, the appointment of a former Cabinet minister in the Thatcher Government, Lord Hunt, to chair the PCC sends absolutely the wrong message.

The PCC should be, and should be seen to be, independent of government and impartial in its handling of issues between the political parties and the press. At a time when the PCC is under review this appointment shows an extraordinary lack of judgement.