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Hello and welcome to The Westminster Hour with me, Ben Wright, and my guests.

And this edition is dominated by the latest crisis at the BBC.

Following the resignations of its Director-General and the Chief Executive of BBC News,

we ask, is there systemic bias

and is the very future of the corporation under threat?

The Reform UK leader Nigel Farage tells us the BBC's problems are deeply cultural.

For the Liberal Democrats, Sir Ed Davies says the organisation isn't perfect, but his party will defend it.

And with the budget looming, we'll discuss the

choices facing the Chancellor, especially on tax, and hear from a former occupant of Number 11 Downing

Street about the political pitfalls of delivering the big annual economics statement. That is all coming

up. First, let's meet my panel. Catherine West is the Labour MP for Hornsey and Fryan Barnett in North London, until the most

recent reshuffle. She was a foreign office minister responsible for the Indo-Pacific region.

Now a footloose backbencher again. She sits on the Treasury Select Committee. Good to have

you back with us, Catherine.

Jessie Norman saw the insight at several government departments during the various recent

conservative administrations. Like Catherine, he was a minister in the foreign office.

Also the Treasury at Transport and Energy and his latest incarnation is shadow leader of the

Commons. Jesse's been the MP for Hereford since 2010

and joins us down the line from there this evening. Hello, Jesse. Hello, Ben. Scarlett

McGuire is a pollster running her own company, Merlin Strategy, providing political insight,

and she regularly appears on the program. Welcome back to you, Scarlett.

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