By Lesley Foottit - 7th October 2009
Culture secretary Ben Bradshaw has accused the BBC of being biased towards the Conservatives.
His comments came after the BBC's coverage of shadow chancellor George Osborne's conference speech, which Bradshaw slammed as "fawning".
"Another wholly feeble and biased Today programme rounded off with a fawning interview with a Tory pundit!" he wrote on social networking site Twitter.
Osborne had been questioned by host Evan Davis on Radio 4's flagship news show about his plans for cutting public spending by £7bn a year .
Media commentator and ex-Tory MP Michael Brown was featured praising Osborne's speech at the end of the programme.
Brown said he believed the Tory leadership had "stolen a march" on Labour by being "genuinely honest" over future economic challenges.
Earlier this week Bradshaw, a former BBC journalist, also criticised a Today interview with shadow schools secretary Michael Gove, branding it "disgracefully feeble".
A BBC spokeswoman defended the broadcast, saying: "I think people recognise suggesting your political opponents are somehow getting an easier ride from broadcasters is something that has always been part of politics.
"Broadcasters get this allegation from all sides of the political spectrum and we are confident that this morning's interview was both robust and rigorous."
Bradshaw has previously called for the way the BBC is governed to be overhauled, suggesting it is "unsustainable" in the long run.
Dods Parliamentary Communications Ltd