Meet the Minister

No photos allowed at Portcullis house in Westminster so you'll have to trust we were there this afternoon. The NUJ's parliamentary group had arranged a meeting with interested MPs and the secretary of state for Culture, Media and Sport James Purnell. We met and put the case for ITV local and regional news - including our ideas around future funding mechanisms. The minister agreed that nothing which comes out of the Ofcom reviews in the next year will pre-empt the bigger picture on the future of public service broadcasting. He also gave us the heartfelt assurance that he's a strong supporter of PSB and that he believes its of central cultural importance to Britain. We told him that once it's gone it's gone and turning the clock back will be very tough.