Culture secretary defends BBC - after leak reveals staff's anger at Tory-linked board member

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has defended the BBC arsenic a situation initiated by an edit of a Donald Trump code engulfs the corporation.

The organisation apologised connected Monday aft 2 of its apical figures, including director-general Tim Davie, resigned amid concerns astir impartiality - notably the editing of a Panorama documentary from October 2024.

It aired the week earlier the US statesmanlike predetermination and showed an edited code made by Mr Trump earlier the 2021 Capitol riot, successful which helium appeared to archer supporters helium was going to locomotion determination with them to "fight similar hell".

Ms Nandy has defended the BBC, saying "some successful the House" person suggested the BBC is institutionally biased, but that she disagrees arsenic the BBC is simply a "light connected the elevation for radical present and crossed the world".

"All of america successful this House should worth it, uphold it and fiercely support it," she added.

The civilization caput said that she has been successful "regular contact" with BBC seat Samir Shah, ensuring that wherever its standards were not met, "firm, swift and transparent enactment follows".

"I invited the steps that person already been acceptable retired and I volition support the House updated arsenic the BBC enactment grips these issues," she added, saying she agreed with Mr Shah that the nationalist broadcaster has a work to "uphold the highest standards".

Ms Nandy said a reappraisal of the BBC's Royal Charter volition statesman "imminently" and a nationalist consultation volition beryllium launched, with much details successful the "coming weeks".

Meanwhile, Mr Trump threatened to writer the BBC for $1bn, and a missive dated 9 November from Florida lawyer Alejandro Brito outlines 3 demands upon the organisation to debar being sued, with a deadline of 10pm UK clip connected Friday to respond.

He demanded that the BBC contented a "full and just retraction" of the documentary, apologise immediately, and "appropriately compensate" Mr Trump.

Shadow civilization caput Nigel Huddleston has demanded an apology from the BBC to Trump and to the British public.

He told the House of Commons connected Tuesday that the corp is "in a atrocious mess... of its ain making" and "needs redeeming from itself".

Mr Huddleston stressed that his enactment wants the BBC to win and praises its successes, but emphasised that this "requires organization alteration and acold much than a fewer moves astatine the top".

The problems of the corp subordinate to its nonaccomplishment to honour its charter work to impartiality, helium said.

In an all-staff telephone connected Tuesday morning, the outgoing BBC director-general Mr Davie said the corp had "made immoderate mistakes that person outgo us" but added helium was "proud" and that the organisation needed to "fight" for its journalism.

He besides admitted: "I deliberation we did marque a mistake, and determination was an editorial breach, and I deliberation immoderate work had to beryllium taken."

Mr Davie, who has worked for the BBC for 20 years and been successful complaint for the past five, is not stepping down immediately.

He said successful his departure enactment to unit that helium is "working done nonstop timings with the committee to let for an orderly modulation to a successor implicit the coming months".

There are respective imaginable candidates who could regenerate him and instrumentality connected the highest-profile relation successful British broadcasting, which efficaciously serves arsenic some the corporation's main enforcement and its editor-in-chief crossed television, vigor and online.

In a Q&A with Mr Davie aft the all-staff call, unit were frustrated by having their questions vetted, Sky News arts and amusement analogous Katie Spencer reports.

Some of the questions were astir the arguable assignment of Sir Robbie Gibb, the erstwhile Tory manager of communications for premier curate Theresa May, to the BBC board.

But erstwhile these questions were getting done the vetting process, unit tried to inquire questions successful the reply boxes, which were public.

The anonymous comments included questions similar "How tin we assertion to beryllium unbiased if Gibb is connected the board?" and "Why is Robbie Gibb inactive connected the board?".

Read more:
The antheral down the leaked BBC memo
Trump's ineligible menace missive successful full
Who is Sir Robbie Gibb and wherefore are determination calls to get him disconnected BBC board?

"I find Robbie Gibb's continued beingness astatine the BBC to beryllium incredibly demoralising. It feels arsenic if helium is warring against and undermining the enactment we're trying to do," different remark read.

The leaders of the Lib Dems and SNP person some called for Sir Robbie's removal.

But Ms Nandy told the Commons that the authorities is "unable" to region Sir Robbie, arsenic "the charter sets a strict ineligible threshold that indispensable beryllium met earlier dismissal of a committee member".