Reports of BBC coup 'complete nonsense', board member tells MPs

Reports of a "board-level orchestrated coup" astatine the BBC are "complete nonsense", non-executive manager Sir Robbie Gibb has told MPs.

Sir Robbie, whose presumption connected the BBC committee has been challenged by critics successful caller weeks, was among elder leaders, including the broadcaster's chair, Samir Shah, to look questions from the Culture, Media and Sport committee astir the existent crisis.

The proceeding took spot successful the aftermath of the fallout implicit the edit of a code by US President Donald Trump, which prompted the resignation of the corporation's director-general and the main enforcement of BBC News, and the menace of a suit from the US president.

Former editorial advisor Michael Prescott, whose leaked memo sparked the caller concatenation of events, besides answered questions from MPs - telling the proceeding helium felt helium kept seeing "incipient problems" that were not being tackled.

He besides said Mr Trump's estimation had "probably not" been tarnished by the Panorama edit.

During his ain questioning, Sir Robbie addressed concerns of imaginable governmental bias - helium near BBC News successful 2017 to go past premier curate Theresa May's manager of communications, a station helium held until 2019, and was appointed to the BBC committee successful 2021 by Boris Johnson.

"I cognize it's hard to wed the information that I spent 2 years arsenic manager of communications for the government... and my genuine passionateness for impartiality," helium said.

"I privation to perceive the afloat scope of views... I don't privation the BBC to beryllium partisan oregon favour immoderate peculiar way."

Asked astir reports and speculation that determination has been a "board-level orchestrated coup", Sir Robbie responded: "It's up determination arsenic 1 of the astir ridiculous charges... People had to find immoderate angle.

"It's implicit nonsense. It's besides profoundly violative to chap committee members... radical of large lasting successful antithetic fields."

He said his governmental enactment has been "weaponised" - and that it was hard arsenic a non-executive subordinate of the BBC to respond to criticism.

'We should person made the determination earlier'

Mr Shah admitted the BBC was excessively dilatory successful responding to the contented of the Panorama edit of Mr Trump, which had been flagged agelong earlier the leaked memo.

"Looking back, I deliberation we should person made the determination earlier," helium said. "I deliberation successful May, arsenic it happens.

"I deliberation determination is an contented astir however rapidly we respond, the velocity of our response. Why bash we not bash it rapidly enough? Why bash we instrumentality truthful overmuch time? And this was different illustration of that."

Following reports of the leaked memo, it took astir a week for the BBC to contented an apology.

Mr Shah told the committee helium did not deliberation Mr Davie needed to resign implicit the contented and that helium "spent a large woody of time" trying to halt him from doing so.

Is director-general relation excessively large for 1 person?

Asked astir his ain position, Mr Shah said his occupation present is to "steady the ship", and that helium is not idiosyncratic "who walks distant from a problem".

A occupation advert for the BBC director-general relation has since gone unrecorded connected the corporation's careers website.

Mr Shah told the proceeding his presumption is that the relation is "too big" for 1 idiosyncratic and that helium is "inclined" to restructure roles astatine the top.

He says helium believes determination should besides beryllium a lawman director-general who is "laser-focused connected journalism", which is "the astir important happening and our top vulnerability".

Earlier successful the hearing, Mr Prescott gave grounds alongside different erstwhile BBC editorial adviser, Caroline Daniel.

He told the CMS committee that determination are "issues of denial" astatine the BBC and said "the absorption did not judge determination was a problem" with the Panorama episode.

Mr Prescott's memo highlighted concerns astir the mode clips of Mr Trump's code connected January 6 2021 were spliced unneurotic truthful it appeared helium had told supporters helium was going to locomotion to the US Capitol with them to "fight similar hell".

'I can't deliberation of thing I hold with Trump on'

Mr Trump has said helium is going to prosecute a suit of betwixt $1bn and $5bn against the broadcaster, contempt receiving an authoritative nationalist apology.

Asked if the documentary had harmed Mr Trump's image, Mr Prescott responded: "I should astir apt restrain myself a small bit, fixed that determination is simply a imaginable ineligible action.

"All I could accidental is, I can't deliberation of thing I hold with Donald Trump on."

He was aboriginal pushed connected the subject, and asked again if helium agreed that the programme tarnished the president's reputation, to which helium past replied: "Probably not."

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Why are radical calling for Sir Robbie Gibb to go?

Mr Prescott, a erstwhile journalist, besides told the committee helium did not cognize however his memo was leaked to the Daily Telegraph.

"At the astir cardinal level, I wrote that memo, fto maine beryllium clear, due to the fact that I americium a beardown protagonist of the BBC.

"The BBC employs talented professionals crossed each of its factual and non-factual programmes, and astir radical successful this country, surely myself included, mightiness spell arsenic acold arsenic to accidental that they emotion the BBC.

He said helium "never envisaged" the fallout that would occur. "I was hoping the concerns I had could, and would, beryllium addressed privately successful the archetypal instance."

Asked if helium thinks the BBC is institutionally biased, helium said: "No, I don't."

He said that "tonnes" of the BBC's enactment is "world class" - but added that determination is "real enactment that needs to beryllium done" to woody with problems.

Mr Davie, helium said, did a "first-rate job" arsenic director-general but had a "blind spot" toward editorial failings.