BBC Radio 6 star Shaun Keaveny launches foul-mouthed Twitter tirade against Boris Johnson

• Shaun Keaveny referred to sex acts to criticise the Prime Minister’s policies 
• Broadcaster ‘reminded’ him of social media guidelines, a BBC spokesman said
• Said Mr Johnson should be ‘locked in the Tower of London’ and it was fine to refer to him as a ‘c***’

Shaun Keaveny, who hosts a daily afternoon show on BBC Radio 6 Music, posted a torrent of rants aimed at Mr Johnson up until the General Election was announced

A BBC radio presenter used his Twitter account to attack Boris Johnson, it emerged last night.

Shaun Keaveny, who hosts a daily afternoon show on BBC Radio 6 Music, posted a torrent of rants aimed at Mr Johnson up until the General Election was announced.

The broadcaster has ‘reminded’ him of social media guidelines, a BBC spokesman said.

In two posts 47-year-old Mr Keaveny, one of the corporation’s highest paid stars who also steps in to host Radio 2 shows, referred to sex acts to criticise Mr Johnson’s policies.

In one, the DJ – who is paid more than £160,000 a year – re-posted a video of Mr Johnson visiting patients and nurses at Pilgrim Hospital in Boston, Lincolnshire.

Above it he posted: ‘Boris Johnson: the kind of person that will say anything to get a [sex act], saying anything to get a mandate.’

In other posts he describes Mr Johnson as a ‘mendacious tool’, a ‘lying b***end’ and says the idea of him being prime minister is a ‘horror story’. He also suggested Mr Johnson should be ‘locked in the Tower of London’ and said it was fine to refer to him as a ‘c***’. In contrast, in a post just after the 2017 General Election, Mr Keaveny spoke of his admiration for Jeremy Corbyn as the Labour leader addressed cheering crowds at music festival Glastonbury. At the time he told his more than 120,000 followers: ‘Gotta say, Corbyn is smashing it at Glasto.’

In two posts 47-year-old Mr Keaveny, one of the corporation’s highest paid stars who also steps in to host Radio 2 shows, referred to sex acts to criticise Mr Johnson’s policies

Mr Keaveny does not cover news or politics and so is able to express a political view under BBC impartiality rules. However, a spokesman last night said the broadcaster had spoken to him to ‘remind’ him of guidelines governing the use of social media. These state that employees should not ‘post offensive or derogatory comments’. 

But Peter Bone, the Tory candidate in Wellingborough, a seat he has held since 2005, said: ‘The language is vile and it says more about him than it does about Boris. I wonder if a politician said those sort of things about the director-general of the BBC whether we would still even be candidates?

‘The BBC are letting their standards slip by not taking more action. But I’m afraid it’s something we’ve rather got used to from the BBC.

‘Clearly this employee, paid effectively by the taxpayer, is anything but impartial. The BBC by not taking more action is effectively endorsing him. It’s not good enough.’ In another response to a Twitter user who posted a video of what looks like a celestial black hole, Mr Keaveny said: ‘Eternal s*** coming out of Boris’s black hole.’

He also praised former Tory premier John Major for laying into Mr Johnson on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, posting: ‘John Major is tearing Boris Johnson a new a******* on the Today programme. Hats off.’

Peter Bone, the Tory candidate in Wellingborough, a seat he has held since 2005, said: ‘The language is vile and it says more about him than it does about Boris’

Some of his tweets are direct responses to Mr Johnson’s posts. In one, responding to Mr Johnson’s announcement that he had joined the social media app Snapchat, Mr Keaveny said: ‘Is this a joke?? It’s a joke isn’t it?? Is Snapchat the one where you send unsolicited d*** pics?’

He also replied to an image posted by another Twitter user who had photo-shopped the words ‘Boris is a LYING D***HEAD’ on to a bus stop sign, saying: ‘Excellent “last day at work” truthing.’ In a further post he used the Salisbury poisoning attacks by Russian spies to draw comparisons between Mr Johnson and Vladimir Putin.

Mr Keaveny mocked Mr Johnson’s response to the attacks, saying: ‘Funny to see Boris Johnson accuse the Kremlin of “a cynical attempt to bury awkward facts beneath an avalanche of lies and disinformation”…did you do them a seminar, Boris?’

A BBC spokesman said: ‘Whilst the BBC is not responsible for the contents of his personal Twitter account, we do have social media guidance in place which we expect our presenters to follow and have reminded him of this.’

Mr Keaveny grew up in Greater Manchester before attending university in Leeds.

He joined the BBC in 2000 before fronting the Good Morning Britain breakfast show. He has also been a regular pundit for ITV1, ITV2 and Channel 4.

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