President Trump has threatened legal action against the BBC – as its chair Samir Shah insisted the corporation was not institutionally biased.
Mr Trump has sent a legal letter to the BBC and it is now considering how to respond, it emerged today.
The revelation came shortly after Mr Shah used his first remarks since the resignation of director-general Tim Davie and head of news Deborah Turness to mount a defence of the corporation.
Mr Shah accused Michael Prescott, who wrote a critical memo that ultimately prompted the resignations, of offering a ‘personal account’ which gives only a ‘partial’ view of events.
In a 1,600-word letter to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee (CMS), he said the memo failed to reflect much of the good work being done by the public broadcaster.
‘Michael Prescott’s memo gives only a partial description of the evidence that editorial guidelines and standards committee received and considered,’ Mr Shah said.
Mr Shah said the corporation has received communication from Mr Trump, adding: ‘We are now considering how to reply to him.’
Mr Trump last night condemned the BBC as ‘corrupt’ as he tore into outgoing director general Tim Davie after he resigned in disgrace alongside the head of BBC News, Deborah Turness.
In response, Downing Street issued a rare indirect rebuke of the president, with his spokesman telling 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.
The spokesman also denied the BBC was ‘institutionally biased’ – a claim made by Reform leader Nigel Farage.
Asked if Sir Keir agreed with the claim, he replied: ‘No, but it’s important 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.’
Samir Shah said he accepted that the way the US president’s speech at the Capitol was edited wrongly gave the impression that he had issued a ‘direct call for violent action’
Mr Farage waded into the row earlier today, claiming the BBC will have ‘no future’ unless it can do ‘straight news’.
The politician insisted that the licence fee ‘as currently it cannot survive, it is wholly unsustainable’. He suggested that the BBC should be ‘slimmed down’ and ‘compete’ with other broadcasters on a subscription model.
At a Westminster press conference, Mr Farage said he had spoken to Mr Trump on Friday and the president had made clear his ‘anger’ at the situation.
The barbs came as Ms Turness, who quit as BBC head of news yesterday, denied that the corporation is ‘institutionally biased’.
Speaking outside the body’s HQ in London, she insisted the BBC remains the ‘world’s most trusted news provider’.
Meanwhile, star presenter Nick Robinson launched into an extraordinary monologue on the Today programme – amid signs that senior news figures are engaged in a high-stakes power struggle with the board overseeing standards.
Asked about President Trump’s comments, an emotional Ms Turness said: ‘Of course our journalists aren’t corrupt. Our journalists are hardworking people who strive for impartiality and I will stand by their journalism’.
Explaining why she had quit she went on: ‘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.
‘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’.
Former Radio 4 boss Mark Damazer has also insisted that Davie was an ‘outstanding Director General’ and believes it is ‘absolutely wrong’ to say the BBC is ‘systemically biased’.
Mr Farage told the press conference this morning: ‘I spoke to the president on Friday. He just said to me, is this how you treat your best ally?’
The Reform leader said: ‘If the BBC doesn’t now get a grip, get someone in from the outside, somebody who has got a history and a culture of changing organisations, of turning them around, then I think what you would see in the next couple of years are many many millions just refusing…’
Mr Farage said he wanted the BBC to survive, but that would require it to do ‘straight news’.
‘If it can manage that it has something of a future. If it cannot manage that frankly it has no future at all,’ he added.
Director general Tim Davie quit the BBC last night after five years in the corporation’s top job
Hours earlier, star BBC journalist Nick Robinson spoke out on the row during a monologue on the Today programme.
Mr Robinson claimed Mr Davie and Ms Turness had still not explained ‘what they had actually got wrong’ when they resigned yesterday over the editing of a Donald Trump speech by Panorama.
He also said that some listeners were tired of hearing ‘the BBC talking about itself’ adding that there is ‘plenty of other news’ in the world.
Mr Robinson had launched into a monologue on the scandal just after the 6.30am news bulletin, where he said the BBC’s board is in a state of ‘paralysis’ and appeared to suggest conspiracy and politics at the top of the corporation were at play.
And in what some listeners suggested was him playing down the impartiality row he said: ‘I understand that at the time of the transmission of the Panorama film in 2024, there were no complaints about the editing of Donald Trump’s speech’.
He added: ‘In her resignation statement Deborah Turness said the ongoing controversy has reached a stage where it is causing damage to the BBC. Neither she nor Tim Davie explained what they had actually got wrong’.
After a 15 minute section on the scandal, where he discussed what will happen next with two BBC reporters, Mr Robinson finished by saying: ‘As we know patience can wear thin about the BBC talking about itself, there is plenty other news. We will be talking about the NHS, about homelessness and let’s talk about other news from Belgium, important news’.
Mr Trump had 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, which he later did.
The Mail on Sunday further revealed how two of the BBC’s leading presenters claimed that airing concerns about its coverage was part of a political campaign to ‘destroy’ the corporation.
Mr Robinson’s remarks – endorsed by veteran reporter John Simpson – were swiftly condemned as ‘ridiculous’ and ‘arrogant’ by Mr Johnson.
And today Mr Robinson spoke out again, this time on the BBC’s flagship radio news programme in a monologue lasting several minutes.
He said: ‘Ever since rumours of the resignation surfaced, I have been piecing together what happened that led to this crisis.
‘Those at the top of the BBC have appeared paralysed last week, unable to agree what to say – not just about the editing of that speech, but wider claims of institutional bias.
‘One source described the arguments ever since Telegraph leaked memo by a former advisor to the BBC Board as ‘like armed combat’, another alleged ‘political interference’ after what they described as a ‘hostile takeover’ of parts of the BBC.’
The presenter said a statement which was being prepared by BBC News executives, the journalists who run the news division, last week was set to apologise for the mistake.
He said they had agreed a statement saying it had ‘been a mistake to edit together two different sections of President Trump’s speech on the day of the Capitol Hill riots, without clearly signalling to the audience that edit had been made’.
It would have said ‘despite this error, there was no intention to mislead the audience’ Robinson added.
The BBC Board refused to sign off the statement and are still yet to release a statement about the Trump speech.
Director general Mr Davie and Ms Turness, chief executive of BBC News, sensationally stepped down amid an impartiality row after an internal report accused it of institutional bias and censorship.
The row began over an edition of the flagship current affairs programme Panorama in which two clips of Donald Trump’s speech were spliced together, despite having been said an hour apart.
In a section of Trump: A Second Chance? which focused on the Capitol Hill riots on January 6, Trump was shown telling his supporters that he was going to walk to the Capitol with them to ‘fight like hell’ when in fact what he said was that he would walk with them ‘to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard’.
Concerns about the documentary were raised by Michael Prescott, a former external adviser to the BBC’s editorial standards committee.
Last night President Trump branded the broadcaster a ‘terrible thing for democracy’ and said its ‘corrupt journalists’ had been exposed.
In a monologue this morning Mr Robinson, one of the BBC’s highest earners, said these are ‘not normal times’ at the broadcaster as he detailed the scenes from inside this week.
It was a leaked report by Michael Prescott, a former adviser to the corporation’s editorial watchdog, which eventually brought down the director-general.
In a 19-page document, he accused the corporation of doctoring a speech by Mr Trump and censoring the debate on transgender issues, and said its Gaza coverage had been biased.
Yet the BBC has still not released a statement responding to the allegations made in the leaked document.
Robinson added: ‘The argument which raged on the BBC board ensured neither defended itself nor admitted its mistakes for day after long day after the leaking of the Prescott dossier alleging institutional bias.
‘As criticism mounted from the White House, from former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and many others, the BBC merely said that it would not comment on leaked documents, whilst promising the chairman Samir Shah would respond in writing to MPs on the culture, media and sport select committee.’
Mr Robinson then singled out board member Sir Robbie Gibb over his views that the BBC did have a problem of institutional bias.
Deborah Turness (pictured centre today), chief executive of BBC News, hit back at Donald Trump as she arrived at Broadcasting House this morning
He added: ‘A majority of the BBC board appear to agree with their editorial advisor, that there is a problem of institutional bias reflected in that coverage, not just of Donald Trump but of Gaza and Israel and also Trans rights.
‘Friends of Sir Robbie insist he has repeatedly and consistently supported Tim Davie as director general and wanted him to stay.’
Mr Robinson revealed that as the row has continued to paralyse the BBC this week, its board members have still not agreed on the statement which was promised by chairman Samir Shah.
He said that statement may finally be released this morning.
In a final thought to listeners, Mr Robinson said ‘at the time of the transmission of the Panorama film back in 2024, there were no complaints about the editing of Donald Trump’s speech.’
Mr Davie’s resignation brings to an end a 20-year career at the BBC which saw him rise from director of marketing, communications and audiences.
Since he took the top job in 2020, the corporation has faced many crises, including the prosecution of newsreader Huw Edwards over possession of indecent images of children, the axing of MasterChef presenters Gregg Wallace and John Torode, and the airing of a performance of Bob Vylan at Glastonbury, when its lead singer chanted ‘Death to the IDF’.
In a post on Truth Social on Sunday night, US President Donald 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.
Mr Davie said he wanted to hand over to a new director-general ahead of Royal Charter renewal negotiations with the Government, which will decide the broadcaster’s future funding model.
In a note to staff on Sunday, he said: ‘Like all public organisations, the BBC is not perfect, and we must always be open, transparent and accountable. While not being the only reason, the current debate around BBC News has understandably contributed to my decision.
‘Overall the BBC is delivering well, but there have been some mistakes made and as director-general I have to take ultimate responsibility.’
Leading politicians have said the BBC must change to rebuild its reputation.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said the corporation needs ‘to turn a new leaf’ while Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch called for ‘top-to-bottom’ reform.
Government minister Louise Sandher-Jones rejected suggestions the BBC was institutionally biased.
The veterans minister told Sky News: ‘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.
‘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.’
The US President shared a Daily Mail column from Boris Johnson, where the former Prime Minister vowed to withhold his licence fee
Asked about Donald 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.’
The BBC’s board has not properly defended the corporation, a former Downing Street communications chief has suggested.
Sir Craig Oliver, who is also a former BBC news executive, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme the problems at the corporation ‘matter’, adding ‘the BBC is an enormous institution with a huge impact on British life’.
‘What I think has gone wrong here, I think is really an issue of the governance of the institution,’ Sir Craig said.
‘We’re living in a fast-moving digital world where there are a lot of people who want to attack the BBC, and what we’ve seen is really a vacuum that has been created.
‘It’s been obvious for days now that the BBC needed to step up, explain, apologise, move on.
‘And what we’ve seen is the governance of the BBC saying, ‘we’ll get back to you on Monday – we’ll leave that for days. We’ll allow the President of the United States to be attacking the institution, and we’re not going to properly defend it’.’
