Exit likely to set off competitive and politicised recruitment process to find replacement at corporation
![Unsworth departure opens up battle over future of BBC News](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/3d929e29f02e77ca003a7664b3b042297abc7d50/0_57_1504_902/master/1504.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&enable=upscale&s=47d85efcf5388ffc40709d204fd66471)
Fran Unsworth, the BBC’s director of news and current affairs, has announced she will leave the corporation early next year, creating a vacancy for one of the most powerful jobs in
British media.
Her departure, first reported by the Guardian, is likely to set off a competitive and politicised recruitment process to find her replacement, at a time when government relations with the
BBC are at a low and ministers are negotiating over the future of the licence fee.