Piers Morgan brands BBC 'spineless' as Emily Maitlis reprimanded for retweeting his anti-Tory comment

Emily Maitlis and Piers Morgan — Piers Morgan has supported Emily Maitlis. (Getty) (Getty)

Piers Morgan has branded the BBC "spineless" after Emily Maitlis was told off by bosses for retweeting an anti-Tory tweet he had posted.

The former Good Morning Britain presenter had tweeted: "If failing to quarantine properly is punishable by 10yrs in prison, what is the punishment for failing to properly protect the country from a pandemic?"

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Newsnight broadcaster Maitlis retweeted the comment earlier in the year and although she deleted it within 10 minutes, the BBC have now said she breached impartiality rules for employees by her actions.

A statement read: "The retweeted material was clearly controversial, implying sharp criticism of the Government and there was nothing in the surrounding context to make clear that Ms Maitlis was not endorsing it."

LONDON - SEPTEMBER 04: (EMBARGOED FOR PUBLICATION IN UK TABLOID NEWSPAPERS UNTIL 48 HOURS AFTER CREATE DATE AND TIME) Emily Maitlis and Piers Morgan arrive at the GQ Men Of The Year Awards, at the Royal Opera House on September 4, 2007 in London, England. (Photo by Dave M. Benett/Getty Images) — Piers Morgan has branded the BBC 'spineless' over its treatment of Emily Maitlis. (Dave M Benett/Getty Images) (Dave M. Benett via Getty Images)

But Morgan, sticking up for his fellow newsreader, tweeted a link to the story and wrote: "This is quite incredible.

"The Govt has admitted we failed to properly prepare for this pandemic. It's not a partisan comment, it's a statement of fact supported by the worst death toll in Europe. Why is the BBC so utterly spineless?"

He later added a link to a story titled "Maitlis retweet breaks BBC rules" and wrote: "Correction: Maitlis retweets an undeniable fact, gets reprimanded by timid BBC bosses to appease the woke mob."

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 22: Emily Maitlis attends The Spectator Parliamentarian Of The Year Awards at Rosewood London on January 22, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for The Spectator ) — Emily Maitlis was previously criticised for a speech on Newsnight speech. (David M Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for The Spectator ) (David M. Benett via Getty Images)

It is the second time during the pandemic that BBC reporter Maitlis has been accused of breaking her employer's impartiality rules.

During an opening segment on Newsnight in May 2020, Maitlis said then government adviser Dominic Cummings had broken Covid rules with his trip to Barnard Castle and added: "The country can see that and is shocked the government cannot."

But the BBC issued a statement at the time saying: "The BBC must uphold the highest standards of due impartiality in its news output."

Piers Morgan returns to his home in Kensington, central London, the morning after it was announced by broadcaster ITV that he was leaving as a host of Good Morning Britain. Picture date: Wednesday March 10, 2021. (Photo by Jonathan Brady/PA Images via Getty Images) — Piers Morgan tweeted to criticise the government, and the BBC. (Jonathan Brady/PA Images via Getty Images) (Jonathan Brady - PA Images via Getty Images)

Morgan, who was still employed by Good Morning Britain after the Newsnight statement, stuck up for Maitlis then, too.

He tweeted: "Emily told the truth & it's pathetic of the BBC to throw her to the wolves like this. Fortunately my ITV bosses are made of tougher stuff."

In March this year, Morgan quit his Good Morning Britain role when he refused to give in to his ITV bosses' demands for an apology over his comments about Meghan Markle.

Watch: Susanna Reid has dig at Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain

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