BBC warned it faces 'last chance' after Trump meltdown: Labour MPs scramble to prop up the broadcaster - with Starmer silent
The BBC has been warned it faces a 'last chance' after the extraordinary meltdown over editing a Donald Trump speech.
The corporation is reeling after director general Tim Davie and head of news Deborah Turness stepped down in the wake of an internal report detecting bias and censorship.
Mr Trump's speech on January 6, 2021, was edited in a Panorama documentary to make it seem that he told supporters he was going to walk to the US Capitol with them to 'fight like hell'.
Ministers and Labour MPs are scrambling to prop up the national broadcaster following a direct attack from the US President overnight.
Mr Trump described Mr Davie and BBC journalists as 'very dishonest' and a 'terrible thing for democracy'. Nigel Farage revealed this morning that the the US commander-in-chief was 'enraged' by the situation.
The intervention leaves Keir Starmer - who has so far remained silent on the developments - walking a diplomatic tightrope.
Mr Davie (pictured in February 2024) stepped down amid an impartiality row which has rocked the national broadcaster after an internal report accused it of bias and censorship
Mr Trump described Mr Davie and BBC journalists as 'very dishonest' as he launched a new attack against the scandal-hit corporation
Mr Trump's attack leaves Keir Starmer - who has so far remained silent on the developments - walking a diplomatic tightrope
Nigel Farage warned that the BBC faces a 'last chance' to prevent disaster
Labour minister Chris Bryant insisted the BBC is still the 'most trusted news broadcaster' and it would be 'folly to lose it'
BBC chairman Samir Shah is expected to apologise for the Panorama editing today, although the board does not yet appear to have agreed a text of the statement.
Mr Farage revealed today that he spoke to Ms Trump on Friday.
'To say that he was angry would be an understatement,' he told LBC.
'As he said, 'I thought you guys were allies', and this was a state broadcaster.
'Absolutely appalling, but it's just the latest of a long list of political biases that we see running throughout the BBC.
'I've watched it for decades, whether it was their coverage of the European Union, their coverage of immigration, their coverage of climate change, their swallowing - hook, line and sinker - Hamas propaganda coming out of Gaza, and the woke agenda runs through not just news, but every cultural programme as well.
'And so you have to conclude that the BBC has been not just run, but staffed by the wrong people for way, way too long.'
Veterans minister Louise Sandher-Jones told Sky News that the BBC is still 'trusted'.
'When you look at the huge range of domestic issues, local issues, international issues, that it has to cover, I think its output is very trusted,' she said.
'When I speak to people who've got very strongly held views on those, they're still using the BBC for a lot of their information, it's forming their views on this.
'I think we can all point to elements of BBC broadcasting of news and say 'well, that reflects my views, and that doesn't' and that's absolutely right, that we should be able to say that.'
Asked about Mr Trump's comments on the BBC, she said: 'President Trump will obviously speak for himself.
'Tim Davie and Deborah Turness have been quite clear that it's their decision that they've stepped down and I note that the board has thanked them for their service and had said that it had supported them.
'But they've, as they've said, taken accountability for what the BBC has put out. I think it is very important that public figures have accountability.'
Ms Furness arrived at the BBC's HQ this morning with a defiant message that the BBC is 'not institutionally biased'.
'I would like to say it has been the privilege of my career to serve as the CEO of BBC News and to work with our brilliant team of journalists,' she said.
'I stepped down over the weekend because the buck stops with me. But I'd like to make one thing very clear, BBC News is not institutionally biased. That's why it's the world's most trusted news provider.'
In a post on Truth Social last night, Mr Trump wrote: 'The TOP people in the BBC, including TIM DAVIE, the BOSS, are all quitting/FIRED, because they were caught 'doctoring' my very good (PERFECT!) speech of January 6th.
'These are very dishonest people who tried to step on the scales of a Presidential Election. On top of everything else, they are from a Foreign Country, one that many consider our Number One Ally. What a terrible thing for Democracy!'
He also shared a Daily Mail column from Boris Johnson, where the former Prime Minister vowed to withhold his licence fee unless Mr Davie broke his silence on the incident or resigned.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the 'BBC is dying because they are anti-Trump Fake News'.
It followed comments from last week where she said the corporation was '100 per cent fake news that should no longer be worth the time on the television screens of the great people of the United Kingdom'.
Last night she posted a screenshot of her comments alongside the broadcaster's announcement of Mr Davie's resignation. She captioned the tweet: 'Shot' and 'Chaser'.
Mr Davie admitted 'mistakes' had been made, adding: 'I have to take ultimate responsibility.'
Donald Trump last night condemned the 'corrupt' BBC as he tore into director-general Tim Davie
Ms Turness said the 'buck stops with me' and acknowledged the editing of footage of the US President in the documentary 'Trump: A Second Chance?' had caused 'damage' to the BBC.
But she denied claims that the broadcaster was institutionally biased.
Both executives have resigned and not been sacked, with Mr Shah calling it a 'sad day'.
A BBC insider told the Daily Mail that Mr Davie was 'furious' at political leaders who 'jumped on the report to bring him down'.
