14:15:00

BBC board member's position 'untenable', SNP leader says - as he questions impartiality

SNP leader John Swinney has said Robbie Gibb's position on the board of the BBC is untenable, in another tricky story for the broadcaster today.

Gibb, a former head of BBC Westminster and editor of live political programmes, was Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May's director of communications between 2017 and 2019.

The BBC website says that, as a non-exec director on the BBC's board, Gibb is"responsible for upholding and protecting the independence of the BBC by acting in the public interest and exercising independent judgement".

Speaking to LBC on Monday, John Swinney said:"Robbie Gibb is a very clearly affiliated party-political figure on the board of the BBC.

"If the BBC wants to be viewed as an impartial organisation that's authoritative, that reflects the independence of commentary, then I think Robbie Gibb's position is untenable."

Swinney says the new BBC crisis puts the spotlight on the corporation's impartiality standards.

Speaking to the PA news agency, Swinney added:"I quite understand the concerns that are being expressed, given the role and the contribution of some of the members of the BBC board.

"Whoever it is in the BBC has got to be able to live up to the standards of impartiality, independence and to be able to give that authoritative commentary and contribution to public service broadcasting, because that's what we all rely upon the BBC to provide."

14:01:22

13:55:00

BBC employees past and present react to resignations

BBC employees and former colleagues are among those sharing their thoughts on the resignations on social media.

"I am proud to work for BBC News & even prouder to work alongside so many outstanding colleagues," wrote diplomatic correspondent James Landale on X.

"We are not perfect; we must always strive to be better. But in a darkening world, we remain a shaft of light. Worth mulling."

The News Agents podcast co-host and former BBC Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis said in one post that the situation is "far more complicated than the headline resignations suggest - dramatic as those are".

Resignations overshadowing 'Trump's false version of events'

Her News Agents podcast co-presenter Lewis Goodall, a former Newsnight policy editor and former Sky News political correspondent, said on X that while he is"no fan" of Tim Davie, and thinks"he's brought a fair bit of this on himself... the hysteria over this story is on another level".

He wrote:"The BBC Panorama edit was a mistake. It shouldn’t have happened. But it is possible to think that and to think it did not fundamentally misrepresent Trump's overall actions in the lead up to Jan 6th and on the day itself.

"With the BBC resiling from it, it presents an entirely false impression, that Trump's false version of events, is true."

Nick Robinson, a presenter of the Today programme and the Political Thinking podcast, shared several posts about the resignations on X.

"It's clear that there is a genuine concern about editorial standards and mistakes," he wrote in one."There is also a political campaign by people who want to destroy the organisation... Both things are happening at the same time."

13:30:12

Trump sends letter threatening legal action - BBC

Donald Trump has sent a letter to the BBC threatening legal action, according to BBC News.

The corporation confirmed to BBC News that it has received the letter and will respond in due course.

It comes after the BBC's chair expressed fears of the US president taking such a measure (as we explained in our previous post).

Earlier, Samir Shah said the BBC"would like to apologise" for an error of judgement after a Trump speech was edited in a way that "did give the impression of a direct call for violent action".

The clips were spliced together from sections of the US president's speech on 6 January 2021 to make it appear he told supporters he was going to walk to the US Capitol with them to"fight like hell".

Trump responded to Tim Davie and Deborah Turness' resignations last night, describing them as"very dishonest people who tried to step on the scales of a presidential election" in a post on Truth Social.

13:20:00

'He's a litigious fellow': Chair of BBC says he doesn't know if Trump will sue organisation yet

We're hearing more now from the BBC's chair, Samir Shah.

Speaking to Katie Razzall, the BBC's culture and media editor, he was asked if Donald Trump is suing the BBC, given his reputation for suing news organisations in the US.

In reply, Shah says:"I do not know that yet. But he's a litigious fellow. So we should be prepared for all outcomes."

In the same interview, Shah has repeated his defence of the BBC which he gave in his letter - in which he said Michael Prescott's allegations of bias in his report had been overstated (see our 12.27 post).

Prescott's concerns are being taken seriously but are down more to"individual mistakes and underlying problems", and not"systemic bias", he tells Razzall.

Shah also says with"hindsight" it would have been better to act "earlier" on the concerns of the Trump Panorama edit.

13:12:00

Who is Michael Prescott, the man behind leaked BBC memo which led to resignations?

Below, Bethany Minelle, arts and entertainment correspondent, explains who Michael Prescott is - after his leaked memo was mentioned several times by the BBC chair in his letter to MPs in the last hour.

Michael Prescott's leaked memo raising concerns over BBC impartiality has brought down two of its top bosses.

US President Donald Trump has swiftly weighed in to brand the corporation"corrupt" and "dishonest".

An ex-journalist, Michael Prescott was an independent adviser to the BBC's Editorial Guidelines and Standards Board for three years before leaving in June.

After studying at Oxford, he worked for 17 years as a journalist, with a decade spent working at the Sunday Times, initially as chief political correspondent before rising to political editor.

No stranger to showbiz, he has previously advised high-net-worth individuals and Hollywood stars on sensitive disputes and had a regular spot on Michael Parkinson's weekly Radio 2 show, Parkinson's Sunday Supplement, giving the newspaper review.

Prescott has also worked in a series of corporate advisory roles - as corporate affairs director for BT, where he helped launch BT Sport - and was part of the telecoms company's merger with EE.

Ahead of that, he was managing director of corporate communications and public affairs at global PR company Weber Shandwick, where he advised organisations including Virgin Media, Balfour Beatty, British Nuclear Fuels, MasterCard, IKEA, air traffic control body NATS and numerous universities.

He currently holds roles at Hanover Communications, an international communications and PR agency.

Prescott is also a member of the government's Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, offering independent advice to the prime minister, among others.

13:01:46

BBC not corrupt, Downing Street says - but PM's spokesman coy on future of licence fee

The BBC is not corrupt nor institutionally biased, Downing Street has said.

The prime minister's official spokesman has just told reporters:

On the question of is the BBC corrupt? No. The BBC has a vital role in an age of disinformation… where there's a clear argument for a robust, impartial British news service to deliver, and that case is stronger than ever.

I think I've already addressed some of the comments that have been made over the last 24 hours, but we are of the view that it's important that the BBC acts swiftly to maintain trust and correct mistakes quickly when they occur.

The spokesman was also asked if Sir Keir Starmer believed the BBC was institutionally biased. He replied:

No, but it is important that the BBC acts to maintain trust and correct mistakes quickly when they occur, because as I say, for any public service broadcaster, accountability is vital to maintain trust.

On the future of the BBC licence fee, the spokesman would not say whether it was on the table as part of a wider review of the broadcaster's charter.

12:53:20

Impartiality 'more necessary now than ever before', BBC chair tells MPs - as he sets out next steps

At the end of his letter to MPs, BBC chairman Samir Shah commits to three actions going forward:

• "The board will commit to revisiting each and every item set out in Michael Prescott's note, and take further action where appropriate. We will be transparent about the conclusions we reach and the actions taken."
• "Where we have put in measures already, in response to the original EGSC research, we will repeat those internal reviews to check the changes made are making material improvements to the output."
• "Where we have already accepted that items fall shot of our editorial standards, we will ensure that amendments to the relevant online stories are made where this was deemed appropriate."

Shah also said he is "absolutely clear" that the BBC must champion impartiality, adding that it is"more necessary now than ever before".

"I hope this letter demonstrates that the BBC has taken significant action over the past three years," he said.

"I will personally ensure that the BBC continues to take the necessary actions in the future to ensure the BBC retains the trust and confidence of the public we serve.

"I'd like to conclude by restating the importance of high quality, independent journalism in today's polarised society."

Shah added that there is an increasing need for the public to be informed in a way that's impartial, truthful and based on evidence they can trust.

"That is the sacred job of the BBC," he said.

12:27:43

BBC chair apologises for 'error of judgement' over editing of Trump speech

The BBC has issued an apology after a speech by Donald Trump was edited in an episode of Panorama.

In a letter to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee of MPs, BBC chairman Samir Shah said"it would have been better to take more formal action" after it was revealed the corporation edited a Trump speech.

The concerns regard clips spliced together from sections of the US president's speech on 6 January 2021 to make it appear he told supporters he was going to walk to the US Capitol with them to"fight like hell".

Trump responded to the pair's resignations last night, describing Tim Davie and Deborah Turness as"very dishonest people who tried to step on the scales of a presidential election" in a post on Truth Social.

The concerns about the Trump documentary edit first came to light in a leaked memo from Michael Prescott, a former journalist and independent adviser to the BBC's Editorial Guidelines and Standards Board.

Trump speech edit gave 'impression of direct call for violent action'

"Since the publication of Prescott's memo, this issue has led to over 500 complaints," Shah said.

"These are now being dealt with in the normal way. It has also prompted further reflection by the BBC.

"The conclusion of that deliberation is that we accept that the way the speech was edited did give the impression of a direct call for violent action.

"The BBC would like to apologise for that error of judgement."

Shah also notes that the coverage of Michael Prescott's leaked memo implies that he has "uncovered" a list of stories and issues that the BBC sought to "bury".

But the BBC chairman did not accept all over Prescott's claims or how they had been reported, writing in his letter:"That interpretation is simply not true."

12:17:00

BBC world affairs editor says corporation is in 'real danger'

The BBC's world affairs editor has weighed in after the resignations of Tim Davie and Deborah Turness.

John Simpson said the corporation is in"real danger".

He was responding to a post on X from Location, Location, Location presenter Kirstie Allsopp.