Letter: Hutton legacy

Sir: Greg Dyke launches a series of personal attacks in which blame is attributed to everyone else for his departure from the BBC ("Two years after the war, one year after Hutton. Why hasn't Blair resigned yet?", 28 January).

As a former governor of the BBC who supported the appointment of Greg as Director General I do not believe he was blameless in the Gilligan affair. He refuses to accept any responsibility for the Governors' decision to initially back Gilligan because he believes that Gilligan "was fundamentally right", but the issue hinged on the complete accuracy of Gilligan's report given the serious nature of the allegation against the Prime Minister.

I feel saddened by Greg's refusal to recognise his own culpability because in many respects he made a huge contribution to the BBC, restoring morale and confidence to the corporation. However, I cannot help but contrast his behaviour with that of his former Chairman, Gavyn Davies, who maintains a dignified silence on the Gilligan issue, but still contributes constructively to the debate on the future of public service broadcasting.

Lord YOUNG OF NORWOOD GREEN

House of Lords