Mandatory Referrals are part of the 91Èȱ¬’s editorial management system. They are an essential part of the process to ensure compliance and must be observed.
Referrals to Editorial Policy
4.2.1 Where content would not normally include political issues, political opinion or politicians (for example, sport, quiz/panel shows, factual entertainment) content producers must consult the Chief Adviser Politics in advance before inviting a politician to take part in their output, or before accepting a request to participate. This reference is irrespective of whether their contribution to the output is itself ‘political’. Where there is a proposal to involve in such output others who may have taken a prominent political stance, advice is available from Editorial Policy.
(See Section 4 Impartiality: 4.3.24 and Section 10 Politics, Public Policy and Polls: 10.3.2)