Key figures in BBC crisis to be questioned by MPs

MPs will question senior figures involved in the BBC’s recent problems on Monday.

Michael Prescott, a former editorial adviser who raised issues about BBC reporting, including Panorama’s editing of a speech by Donald Trump, will speak on the issue in public for the first time when he appears before a House of Commons committee.

An internal memo written by Prescott was leaked to the press, leading to the resignations of the BBC’s director general and head of news earlier this month.

BBC chairman Samir Shah, who is under pressure over his handling of the matter, and fellow board members Sir Robbie Gibb and Caroline Thomson will also appear as witnesses.

Caroline Daniel, another former editorial adviser, will also speak to parliament’s Culture, Media and Sport Committee from 15:30 GMT.

They are expected to face tough questions from MPs and give their views on the state of the BBC and its journalism, and give their accounts of events behind the scenes.

On Friday, a board member, Shumeet Banerji, resigned over what he called “governance issues” at the top of the corporation, which BBC media editor Katie Razzall said “looks like a direct criticism of” Shah.

Banerji’s departure makes Monday’s committee hearing “even more critical” for Shah, Razzall added.

The role of Sir Robbie, former BBC senior editor and communications director for Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May, is also expected to be scrutinised.

BBC director general Tim Davie and News chief executive Deborah Turness resigned following criticism after the Telegraph reported on Prescott’s memo.

In a subsequent letter to the parliamentary committee, Shah apologized for the “error in judgment” when two sections of Trump’s Jan. 6, 2021, speech were edited together in an episode of Panorama.

Prescott’s memo also raised concerns about other “concerning issues,” including “systemic issues” of bias in the BBC’s Arabic coverage of the Israel-Gaza war and one-sided coverage of trans issues.

The committee’s chair, Conservative MP Caroline Dinenage, has said Davie’s departure was “regrettable” but that “restoring confidence in the corporation must come first”.

He said: “The BBC board must now begin the long process of rebuilding the corporation’s reputation both at home and abroad, after the damage caused by what has become a seemingly constant stream of crises and missteps.”

The latest crisis has sparked a wider debate about the future of the BBC and the state of its news production, including accusations of institutional bias and political interference.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has said the perception of political influence is “a problem” and there is “a real concern, which I share, that political appointments to the BBC board will damage confidence in the BBC’s impartiality”.

He pledged to examine the issue as part of the corporation’s upcoming review of its bylaws.

Sir Robbie was appointed to the BBC board by the Conservative government in 2021 and has been accused of interfering in editorial decisions.

He sits on the BBC board’s Editorial Guidelines and Standards Committee (EGSC) alongside Shah, Davie and Thomson, the former BBC chief operating officer.

The parliamentary committee said Monday’s session would focus on the EGSC’s “processes and how it ensures production complies with BBC editorial guidelines”.

Prescott, former political editor of the Sunday Times, and Daniel, former assistant editor of the Financial Times, advised the EGSC on “editorial risks and issues” after being appointed the BBC’s first “external editorial experts” in 2022.

The session comes as the BBC waits to find out whether Mr Trump will take legal action after threatening to sue the corporation for between $1bn (£759.8m) and $5bn (£3.8bn) over the Panorama edition.