Norman Smith

BBC political correspondent Norman Smith has resigned, to spend more time climbing and walking the dog, he said.  There have been newspaper reports of his decision, but strangely nothing on the BBC news pages.  The corporation did have space for the retirement of her West Midlands political editor, however. It does raise the question of how far Smith's decision was voluntary. Certainly, his style of reporting seemed increasingly out of place with the earnest Tory-Socialist polarised output of the BBC newsroom of recent years. He will be much missed.