No 10 ally on BBC board accused of trying to block senior editorial role

Theresa May's former aide Robbie Gibb said to have warned broadcaster not to appoint ex-HuffPost editor Jess Brammar

A BBC board member with close ties to Downing Street has been accused of attempting to block a senior editorial appointment on political grounds.

Sources told the Financial Times that Sir Robbie Gibb issued a warning to the corporation after Jess Brammar, former editor of HuffPost UK and deputy editor of BBC Newsnight, became the leading candidate to oversee the BBC's news channels.