TL;DR
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Donald Trump condemned the BBC for editing a speech related to the Capitol riot, claiming it misrepresented his words and is suing for $1 billion unless a retraction and apology are issued by a specified deadline.
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The BBC is facing internal and external criticism after recent resignations among top officials, with calls for accountability regarding its editorial standards and perceived biases.
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Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy defended the BBC amidst the controversy, announcing a review of its Royal Charter and emphasising the necessity of maintaining impartiality in its operations.
Trump has ‘obligation’ to sue ‘very dishonest’ BBC | UK News
Donald Trump has said he has an “obligation” to sue the BBC over an edit of a speech he gave before the US Capitol riot in 2021.
The president doubled down on his legal threat to the corporation in a Fox News interview on Tuesday night, as the corporation remains in crisis after the resignation of two of its top figures – including director-general Tim Davie.
“They defrauded the public, and they’ve admitted it,” Mr Trump said.
“And this is within one of our great allies, you know?”
It came after concerns emerged about a Panorama documentary from last year which showed Mr Trump appearing to tell supporters he was going to walk to the Capitol with them to “fight like hell”. There was in fact around an hour in between the two parts of the speech that were spliced together.
He told Fox News the Panorama edit had made a “beautiful” and “very calming speech” sound “radical”, which was “incredible” and “very dishonest”.
Mr Trump had faced charges of trying to overturn the 2020 election in light of the violence that befell the Capitol in January 2021, but those efforts were dropped when he beat Kamala Harris in 2024.
Trump’s three demands
Mr Trump is threatening to sue the BBC for $1bn unless it issues a “full and fair retraction” of the documentary, apologises immediately, and “appropriately” compensates him. It’s been given a deadline of 10pm UK time on Friday.
Read Trump’s legal letter in full
The BBC has come under increasingly heavy fire from its critics in the UK over the Panorama programme. The Conservatives have demanded it apologise to Mr Trump and the public, while Reform has reportedly pulled out of a documentary the corporation was planning about the party.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy defended the BBC in the Commons on Tuesday, denying accusations it’s institutionally biased and calling on MPs to “value it, uphold it, and fiercely defend it”.
She said she has been in “regular contact” with BBC chair Samir Shah, ensuring that where standards were not met, “firm, swift and transparent action follows”.
Ms Nandy said a review of the BBC’s Royal Charter will begin “imminently” and a public consultation will be launched, with more details in the “coming weeks”.
‘We made a mistake – but need to fight,’ says outgoing BBC boss
Her Commons statement came after outgoing director-general Mr Davie said the corporation “made some mistakes that have cost us”, but added he was “proud” and that the organisation needed to “fight” for its journalism.
Mr Davie told staff on a call: “I think we did make a mistake, and there was an editorial breach, and I think some responsibility had to be taken.”
Mr Davie, who has worked for the BBC for 20 years and been in charge for the past five, is not stepping down immediately but hopes a successor will be put in place “over the coming months”.
There are several potential candidates who could replace him. The job effectively serves as both the corporation’s chief executive and its editor-in-chief across television, radio and online.
Leak reveals staff anger at Tory-linked board member
In a Q&A with Mr Davie after the all-staff call, staff were frustrated by having their questions vetted, Sky News arts and entertainment correspondent Katie Spencer reported.
Some questions were about the controversial appointment of Sir Robbie Gibb, the former Tory director of communications for prime minister Theresa May, to the BBC board. But when these questions were getting through the vetting process, staff tried to ask questions in the reply boxes, which were public.
The anonymous comments included questions like “How can we claim to be unbiased if Gibb is on the board?” and “Why is Robbie Gibb still on the board?”.
“I find Robbie Gibb’s continued presence at the BBC to be incredibly demoralising. It feels as if he is fighting against and undermining the work we’re trying to do,” another comment read.
The leaders of the Lib Dems and SNP have both called for Sir Robbie’s removal.
But Ms Nandy told the Commons the government is “unable” to remove Sir Robbie, as “the charter sets a strict legal threshold that must be met before dismissal of a board member”.