"I think that is going to be my lot and I'm going to retire now. Having one is enough for me."

The journalist, who left the BBC earlier this year, said the media was often guilty of ‘normalising’ populist views in the name of balance.

Let's nationalise British Gas and donate 100 per cent of its profits to struggling customers, campaign group Momentum suggested.

"The whole thing is quite simply an organised rip-off, it's a crime being perpetrated upon all bill holders, that should fill all of us with an almighty righteous anger and fury."

Labour has moved to centralise donations as membership plummets and tensions grow with unions over strike action.

The former Newsnight presenter highlighted the role of Sir Robbie Gibb who was appointed to the BBC board by Boris Johnson.

"It is normal for government spin doctors to vocalise their displeasure to journalists, what is not normal is the speed with which the BBC sought to pacify the complainant."

"Many broadcasters fear discussing the obvious economic cause of major change in this country in case they get labelled pessimistic or unpatriotic."

The Office for National Statistics revealed that imports of goods into the UK from Russia also dived by 96.6 per cent to £33 million.