JULY'S I.C.s - ANDREW NEIL

Andrew 'Brillo' Neil (pictured in time-honoured fashion) is often regarded as the only right-of-centre regular among the Beeb's cast of interviewers, and yet his July interruption coefficients (for 'The Daily Politics' only) are heavilly skewed against the Right. Is this a case of Stockholm syndrome?

Neil conducted 19 interviews this month.

Here are his interruption coefficients:

Philip Hammond, Conservative (6/7) - 5.7

Mark Hoban, Conservative (8/7) - 2.5

Bill Rammell, Labour (13/7) - 2.4

Michael Metheson, SNP (1/7) - 2.1

Roger Evans, Conservative (2/7) - 1.5

David Davis, Conservative (15/7) - 1.5

John Hutton, Labour (15/7) - 1.4

Mike Russell, SNP (1/7) - 1.4

Pauline McNeill, Labour (1/7) - 1.3

Tessa Jowell, Labour (8/7) - 0.8

Ming Campbell, Lib Dem (15/7) - 0.5

Simon Hughes, Lib Dem (14/7) - 0.4

Brian Paddick, Lib Dem (14/7) - 0.4

Frank Field, Labour (7/7) - 0.4

Lord Falconer, Labour (7/7) - 0.4

John McFall, Labour (2/7) - 0.3

Alex Salmond, SNP (8/7) - 0.2

Jack McConnell, Labour (1/7) - 0

Charles Clarke, Labour (9/7 )- 0

Indeed, Brillo's 5.7 (for Phillip Hammond) was - by some way - the highest I.C. of July.

Average Number of interruptions per each political party

Conservatives - 2.8

SNP - 1.2

Labour - 0.8

Lib Dems -0.4

Now, last month Andrew Neil's top score was achieved against Jo Swinson of the Liberal Democrats (a 2.9), followed by Jeremy Hunt of the Conservatives (2.5). This suggests a more maverick approach, and the averages are closer: 1.9 for the Conservatives, 1.5 for the Lib Dems and 1.2 for Labour. The case against Andrew Neil is not yet proven.