Do you remember when Kay Burley, the Sky’s News anchor, attacked Michael Gove for defending Dominic Cummings when he drove from Durham to Barnard Castle, breaking coronavirus rules? Burley tweeted in July this year: “So. Ibiza thwarted. Anyone know somewhere welcoming to stay in Barnard Castle?’’
And do you remember the aggression with which Beth Rigby, Sky’s political editor, laid into Cummings during his famous Rose Garden session after his trip? Her questioning – and comments – turned into a sanctimonious tirade of personal opinion.
Led by Burley and Rigby, the media pack launched one of the most merciless attacks on an individual in public life on Cummings after his trip.
Disagree with Cummings’ opinions, yes. But for whatever reason, the attack on the PM’s adviser always had the whiff of a vicious personal vendetta against Cummings who – rightly or wrongly – drove his unwell son to stay with his parents.
Well, Burley and Rigby are now eating humble pie, buckets of the stuff. Burley was off air today while Sky investigates the events surrounding her 60th birthday celebrations at the trendy Century Club in Soho last Saturday. She is alleged to have broken the Tier 2 rules by having booked two tables for ten people: the permitted rule is for six, and that is for outdoors. And guess who was with her? Yes, her close colleague, Beth Rigby, other Sky reporters and staff. She is also alleged to have stopped off at another restaurant to go to the loo after the 11pm curfew time, and then went home with four of her friends.
After the story broke on Guido Fawkes, Burley tweeted an apology saying she was sorry for “an error of judgement” but had to stop to “spend a penny.” A Sky spokesman says: “We were disappointed to learn that a small number of Sky News staff may have engaged in activity that breached the guidelines.”
It is understood that Burley will stay off air until Sky concludes its investigation. Whether apologising for an error of judgement is enough to save Burley is doubtful. Critics will ask how she can square being out having fun with a bunch of hacks after her attacks on someone taking their ill son to his parents. It will be interesting to watch. What goes around comes around.
