By Tim Montgomerie
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If you read ConHome's front page today you'll get links to probably the best press that Cameron has enjoyed since becoming Prime Minister. Each columnist is competing to outdo the others. "Genius," declares Peter Oborne. Cameron has been braver, in a sense, than any previous Prime Minister, says Charles Moore. And the most surprising bouquet of all comes from one of the PM's most relentless critics… "Today I salute Mr Cameron," proclaims Simon Heffer. Yes, Simon Heffer.
The feeling is not shared at the BBC. George Osborne has just told John Humphrys not to be so gloomy about the outcome. Mr Osborne challenged the Today programme interviewer about his wholly negative questioning. Sometimes it is right, he said, to reject a deal if it isn't good enough for Britain and the BBC should recognise this.
The BBC's coverage over the last 24 hours has been doom-laden. Even the contributor on Thought for the Day was talking up the isolation theme, warning it can be "scary". Today's other main guests of the day were Lord Heseltine (groan) and the Editor of the pro-€uro FT.
Tory MPs have noticed. Karl McCartney tweeted that there were two ways of describing the EU outcome. You could emphasise the Labour line that Britain was isolated (although let's not give up on the CHUKS group) or you could stress that the PM had defended Britain's interests. Karl concluded: "So no prizes for guessing which one the BBC led with on 1800 news bulletin last night. & they wonder why we accuse them of inbuilt bias".
Quoted in the Daily Mail, Peter Bone MP has also slammed the BBC's coverage:
"‘The BBC seemed to be using language that suggested it was a disaster. It was being pro-EU and anti-British, and it was in marked contrast to how other major news organisations reported it. ‘In fact, it was a triumph for Britain and a triumph for the Prime Minister. When it comes to Europe, the BBC is institutionally biased.’"