A letter from the Culture, Media and Sport Committee Chair to the ITV CEO has been published today.
Former and current ITV This Morning employees have come forward with claims of “toxic working cultures, bullying, discrimination and harassment”, according to the UK Culture, Media and Sport Committee.
The allegations come after ITV chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall, managing director Kevin Lygo and general counsel Kyla Mullins were all questioned by MPs on the committee in June, following the events surrounding Phillip Schofield’s exit.
The presenter admitted to misleading his employers regarding an affair with a former colleague at This Morning, and ITV was forced to clarify that it had investigated rumours of a relationship in 2020 but found no evidence.
In a letter from Caroline Dinenage, Chairwoman of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, to Dame Carolyn – dated 24th July but published today (9th August) – she wrote that a “large number” of current and previous This Morning employees had since raised concerns about ITV’s working culture to Parliament.
The letter reads: “In the month that has passed since your appearance before the committee, we have been contacted by a large number of individuals who have identified themselves as currently working or previously having worked on This Morning or as part of the wider ITV Daytime team.
“These individuals speak with great pride about working at ITV and are hugely positive about many of their colleagues. However, they also raise claims of toxic working cultures, bullying, discrimination and harassment.”
It continues: “Some of those individuals who have contacted us have described how their decision to raise concerns within ITV has led to further bullying and discrimination, and in some cases having to leave the organisation with a settlement agreement.”
Dinenage went on to say that it is “easy to understand” why these individuals left ITV and “do not wish to relive their traumatic experiences”.
In her response, Dame Carolyn asked the parliamentary committee to “encourage individuals to contact ITV via our reporting line SafeCall”, where reports could be made confidentially or anonymously, or directly to Jane Mulcahy KC, who is leading the external review after Schofield’s exit.
Dame Carolyn continued: “As we made clear to you and the Committee, we are absolutely committed to enabling people to raise any issues or complaints they may have about working at ITV.
“We always take these seriously and will investigate and take whatever action is appropriate. However, we are unable to do so if we cannot engage with those people.”
Schofield left This Morning in May and later resigned from all of his ITV roles after admitting to an affair with a younger male colleague.
At the time of the news, an ITV spokesperson confirmed that “when rumours of a relationship between Phillip Schofield and an employee of ITV first began to circulate in early 2020 ITV investigated”.
They also stated that “ITV spoke to a number of people who worked on This Morning and were not provided with, and did not find, any evidence of a relationship beyond hearsay and rumour”.
It continued: “Phillip’s statement yesterday reveals that he lied to people at ITV, from senior management to fellow presenters, to YMU, to the media and to others over this relationship.”
Read more:
- ITV releases statement on previous Phillip Schofield relationship investigation
- Phillip Schofield defends This Morning against toxicity claims
Schofield’s statement at the time (given to the Daily Mail) read: “I am painfully conscious that I have lied to my employers at ITV, to my colleagues and friends, to my agents, to the media and therefore the public and most importantly of all to my family. I am so very, very sorry, as I am for having been unfaithful to my wife.
“I have therefore decided to step down from the British Soap Awards, my last public commitment, and am resigning from ITV with immediate effect expressing my immense gratitude to them for all the amazing opportunities that they have given me.
“I will reflect on my very bad judgement in both participating in the relationship and then lying about it.”
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