The new director-general of the BBC has agreed not to vote in the House of Lords while he is in the top job at the corporation.
Details of Tony Hall's employment were released by the BBC Trust yesterday. It states it is unlikely Hall, who has served on the crossbenches since 2010, would speak in debates and if he intended to he would inform BBC Trust chairman Lord Patten.
It adds: "The chairman agreed he should not suspend his membership of the House of Lords, although it would be inappropriate for the director-general to vote."
The BBC is sensitive to political bias charges – the appointment of ex- Labour cabinet minister James Purnell in a strategic role has fuelled complaints about bias.
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