Paul Daker quits running to be the next Ofcom chair | Ofcom

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Paul Daker withdrew from the race to be the next head of the media regulator, Ofcom, after concerns were raised about the transparency of the hiring process.

After failing on his first attempt when an interview panel decided the former Daily Mail editor did not meet the required criteria, ministers made way for him to get another chance.

But when the Guardian revealed that a lobbyist at a firm with close ties to the Conservative Party had been chosen to help select candidates who should be approved, Ducker announced he would not proceed with the application again despite being urged to do so “by many senior officials.” members of the government.”

He said he was judged unsuitable to head Ofcom the first time because his “strong convictions” were not compatible with the role.

Ducker described the civil service recruitment process as a “futile blip with the point”, and noted that British government workers rather than politicians “really run this country”.

In a letter in the Times he said: “To any private person, God forbid, who has convictions, and is considering applying for a public appointment, I say the following: the civil service will take over (and leak) everything; the process may take a year in which your life is put on hold; And if you have an independent mind and not attached to the liberal/leftist, you will have a greater chance of winning the lottery than getting the job.”

Ducker said he wishes Ofcom “all the best in the world” as it prepares to deal with “trying to regulate the ruthless and ruthless tech giants, as we’ve learned, without hurting free speech.”

In a recent attack on the civil service, Ducker said he was taking on an “exciting new job” in the private sector “struggling to create wealth to pay for all the senior civil servants working from home so they can spend more time exercising”. on their peloton bikes and polishing their political sanity.”

After it was suspected that senior politicians had interfered in a bid to install Dacre despite his apparent unsuitability for the role, Boris Johnson was urged to disqualify him from running.

“When a former candidate is deemed unappointable to a position, he should be disqualified from re-application,” Conservative Representative Julian Knight, chair of the Culture Select Committee, said earlier this fall.

The Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS) has been contacted for comment.

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