TV moral watchdog resigns over affair

LONDON, England -- Liberal Democrat peer Lord Holmes, chairman of the Broadcasting Standards Commission, has resigned after confirming a newspaper report that he had an affair.

Lord Holmes, whose remit is to monitor the moral standards of British television, had been reported having had an extramarital affair.

The 64-year-old said in a statement on Sunday that he was stepping down to maintain public respect for high standards in British broadcasting.

"I do not seek to excuse myself but, as I duly fall on my sword, I leave it to others to judge what effect this sort of journalism, based on spying, telephone interception and mis-appropriated private correspondence for commercial gain, has on the quality of our public life," the statement said.

Lord Holmes said he had confessed the affair, which he said ended three weeks ago, to his wife and the couple planned to stay together.

In his role as chairman of the commission, Lord Holmes reprimanded TV stations he felt infringed on matters of taste including sexual programmes.

"Given the importance of the maintenance of high standards on British broadcasting and the crucial role which the commission plays in this respect, I do not wish to be the cause of any loss of respect or authority for its work," he added.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Broadcasting Standards Commission

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