Breaking News! just 15 minutes age ,US President Donald Trump threatens the BBC with $1bn legal action over the editing of his speech in a documentary and… see more

US President Donald Trump threatens the BBC with $1bn legal action over the editing of his speech in a documentary

In a letter to the corporation, his legal team demands the BBC “immediately retract” the Panorama programme by 14 November, calling it “false and defamatory”

It comes as BBC chair Samir Shah apologised for an “error of judgement” over the edit, and said the BBC was considering how to respond to Trump

BBC director general Tim Davie and CEO of news Deborah Turness resigned on Sunday night, after a leaked memo criticised a 2024 Panorama programme about the US president

The memo, written by ex-BBC adviser Michael Prescott, said the programme put two parts of Trump’s speech together so he appeared to explicitly encourage the Capitol Hill riots of January 2021

In a letter to MPs on the Culture, Media, and Sport Committee, Shah says the editing “did give the impression of a direct call for violent action”

He adds it is “simply not true” to say the BBC has done nothing to tackle problems raised, and in a later interview insists there is no systemic bias at the BBC

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Writing in the Guardian this evening, Davey says: “Not only was Gibb the director of communications for Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May, and editorial adviser at GB News before being appointed by Boris Johnson. He has also been accused of interfering with editorial decisions in a way that is totally unacceptable for a member of the board.”

The Lib Dem leader says Gibb should have no role in appointing the new director general. “The government should remove him from the board immediately.”

Gibb has been approached for comment.

A source has told the BBC there was “relentless critique of BBC journalism” by board members, with Robbie Bibb singled out in particular – read more from our culture and media editor Katie Razzall
Tory leader urges BBC to ‘look at its own mistakes’
Badenoch says this is “not just about the doctoring of a Donald Trump documentary” but also about how the BBC has “continually covered other issues”, especially those involving women and Jewish people, she adds.

“Those are the people I’m speaking out for… everyday people who watch the BBC and know that what they’re watching is not true,” she says.

However, Badenoch says the country “need to treasure” the BBC as well, and that starts with the BBC showing “humility”.

The Tory leader urges the BBC to “look at its own mistakes, rather than have contempt and sneer at all the people who are pointing out those mistakes”.