The BBC is now more vulnerable than ever, said its former chief while addressing the British parliament.
Lord Tony Hall of Birkenhead acknowledged that the editing of a speech by Donald Trump, which has prompted the US president to threaten a billion-dollar lawsuit, was "wrong and damaging".But he also echoed remarks that there was "no institutional bias" at the corporation.
Even while multiple reports said the broadcaster’s legal team was drawing up its response to the complaint over a Panorama episode, senior figures defended the BBC’s journalism after the broadcaster was branded as “fake news” by the US president.
UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has said the BBC must get their “house in order” when mistakes are made.The US president said he had an “obligation” to sue the BBC over the way his speech on 6 January 2021 was edited.
Speaking for the first time since his lawyers took the unprecedented step of threatening to sue the corporation for $1bn, he told Fox News: "They actually changed my January 6 speech, which was a beautiful speech, which was a very calming speech, and they made it sound radical.”
Key Points
- BBC 'prepared to apologise to Trump' after £1bn legal threat
- BBC must get 'house in order': Starmer
- 35,000 call for BBC to not compensate Trump
- Trump says he has an 'obligation' to sue BBC
- We must fight for our journalism, defiant BBC boss says after Trump legal threat
- Sir Robbie Gibb's position on BBC board called into question
- Scandal-hit BBC more vulnerable now than ever, says former boss
Keir Starmer breaks silence on Donald Trump’s threat to sue BBC for $1bn
07:00 , Namita Singh Keir Starmer breaks silence on Donald Trump’s threat to sue BBC for $1bn
Who is Robbie Gibb, the man at the heart of the BBC scandal with links to Boris Johnson?
06:03 , Namita SinghBBC staff and leading political figures are calling for Robbie Gibb to step down from the BBC board.
So, who is the Tory ‘agent’ at the centre of a tangled web of politics and media interests, asks Katie Rosseinsky
Who is Robbie Gibb, Boris’s man at the heart of the BBC scandal?
Who are the 10 people tasked with appointing new director-general at BBC
05:00 , Namita SinghThe BBC board has been the subject of much debate as it seeks to appoint the corporation’s next director-general following the recent resignation of Tim Davie.
One board member, Sir Robbie Gibb, faced sharp criticism in the Commons on Wednesday.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey urged Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to dismiss Gibb, branding him a "Conservative crony".
However, Starmer declined to comment on "the individual runnings of the BBC".
The BBC board, which is led by non-executive chairman Samir Shah, comprises 10 members, with the director-general also serving on the board and chairing the executive committee.
Who are they? Read here:
Voices: The four-word message the BBC should send Trump about his $1bn lawsuit
04:40 , Namita SinghThe American broadcast media has capitulated in the face of Trump’s legal claims. It’s time the BBC showed they will not be cowed and call the president’s bluff, writes Alan Rusbridger
The four-word message the BBC should send Trump about his $1bn lawsuit
BBC right to take Trump legal threat ‘seriously’ says media lawyer
04:22 , Namita Singh BBC right to take Trump sue threat ‘seriously’ says media lawyer
Ed Davey hits out at Trump $1bn BBC legal threat
04:00 , Athena StavrouScandal-hit BBC more vulnerable now than ever, says former boss
03:39 , Namita SinghA former BBC chief has warned the under-fire public broadcaster was more vulnerable now than he had ever known it in the face of the current crisis.
While acknowledging the editing of a speech by Donald Trump, which has prompted the US president to threaten a billion-dollar lawsuit, was "wrong and damaging", Lord Hall of Birkenhead echoed remarks there was "no institutional bias" at the corporation.
The independent crossbencher, who served as director-general of the BBC from 2013-2020, also called for an end to the once-a-decade process of reviewing the broadcaster's deal or charter, which he suggested was used as a way of "upsetting" the organisation.
He argued halting the need for future renewals would strengthen the corporation's independence and be "an amazing legacy from this government".
The four-word message the BBC should send Trump about his $1bn lawsuit
03:20 , Athena Stavrou The four-word message the BBC should send Trump about his $1bn lawsuit
Recap: Davie explains his departure
03:00 , Athena StavrouWhile speaking to staff on a call on Tuesday morning, outgoing director general Tim Davie gave three key reasons for his departure.
BBC News reported he said the relentlessness of the role, the upcoming Charter renewal and criticism of the Panorama documentary on Trump were all contributing factors.
Threats to stop paying TV licence if Trump sues
02:40 , Athena StavrouBritons have said they would stop paying their TV licence fee if Trump successfully sued the BBC.
A caller on BBC 5 Live said: “If we have to pay a penny to Trump, I'm sorry, but I'm not going to pay my TV licence.”
Others said they didn’t think the BBC “has got any out in this” apart from paying compensation.
Starmer urges BBC to 'get house in order' after Trump's $1bn legal threat
02:20 , Athena StavrouTrump’s lawsuit against the BBC faces these ‘legal trip wires’ if he hopes to win $1bn
01:01 , Athena Stavrou Why Trump’s BBC lawsuit may fail: The ‘legal trip wires’ he faces to win $1bn
Majority believe BBC should apologise - poll
Wednesday 12 November 2025 23:31 , Athena StavrouThe majority of Britons believe the BBC should apologise to Donald Trump over the editing of his speech in a panorama documentary.
A new YouGov poll found 57 per cent of respondents believed the BBC should apologise, while 25 per cent believed they shouldn’t and 18 percent didn’t know.
90 per cent of Reform voters believed the BBC should apologise, compared to 75 per cent of Conservatives, 55 per cent of Lib Dems and 51 per cent of Labour voters.
Only 35 per cent of 18-25 year olds believed the broadcaster should say sorry, compared to 70 per cent of people aged over 65.
Who is Robbie Gibb, the man at the heart of the BBC scandal with links to Boris Johnson?
Wednesday 12 November 2025 22:00 , Athena StavrouBBC staffers and leading political figures are calling for Sir Robbie Gibb to step down from the BBC board.
So, who is the Tory ‘agent’ at the centre of a tangled web of politics and media interests, asks Katie Rosseinsky:
Who is Robbie Gibb, Boris’s man at the heart of the BBC scandal?
BBC 'prepared to apologise to Trump' after £1bn legal threat
Wednesday 12 November 2025 21:35 , Holly EvansThe BBC is reportedly prepared to formally apologise to Donald Trump as they approach the deadline for his his billion-dollar legal threat over its editing of one of his speeches.
Senior figures at the broadcaster are also minded to be robust in defending its journalism in the face of allegations made by Trump and his allies that the BBC publishes “fake news” in relation to him.
The editing of Trump’s 6 January speech in an edition of Panorama has been a significant factor in the resignation of director general Tim Davie and Deborah Turness, its head of news.
Its legal team has been drawing up its response to the complaint, with Trump calling on the corporation to issue a retraction, apologise and compensate him “for the harm caused”.
Trump: I have an obligation to sue the BBC
Wednesday 12 November 2025 21:01 , Athena StavrouMP calls for all political appointees to be removed from BBC board
Wednesday 12 November 2025 20:03 , Athena StavrouLiberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper said the crisis at the BBC has provided an “opportunity” to “take away all the people who were political appointees”.
Ms Cooper told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme: “We Liberal Democrats don’t think that there should be any political appointees and we would like to see legislation to bring back the independent appointments process for the BBC board.”
The St Albans MP added: “I do think that this crisis in the BBC provides an opportunity for us to clear up the BBC and to make sure we can safeguard its independence for future.
“When you look at independent editorial decisions that have been made on particular stories, there’s no doubt in my mind that the BBC has, on a number of occasions, been pretty sloppy, and it’s been very slow at correcting them.
“But I think ultimately this is an opportunity, this crisis, and the way we make the most of that, to protect the BBC, to safeguard its future and to protect its independence, is to make sure that we can take away all the people who were political appointees.”
What has the US president demanded?
Wednesday 12 November 2025 19:00 , Athena StavrouDonald Trump's lawyer Alejandro Brito threatened the BBC with a defamation lawsuit for "no less than" $1 billion. The letter spelled out the figure and used all nine zeros in numeric form.
The letter demanded an apology to the president and a "full and fair" retraction of the documentary along with other "false, defamatory, disparaging, misleading or inflammatory statements" about Trump.
It also said the president should be "appropriately" compensated for "overwhelming financial and reputational harm".
The letter cites Florida's defamation statute that requires a letter be sent to news organisations five days before any lawsuit can be filed.
If the BBC does not comply with the demands by 5pm EST Friday, then Trump will enforce his legal rights, the letter said.
"The BBC is on notice," it said.
BBC right to take Trump sue threat 'seriously' says media lawyer
Wednesday 12 November 2025 18:00 , Athena StavrouWho are the members of the BBC board?
Wednesday 12 November 2025 17:00 , Athena StavrouThe BBC board is headed up by non-executive chairman Samir Shah and consists of 10 members, while the director-general is also a member and chairs the executive committee.
Some roles and responsibilities differ, but non-executive directors on the BBC board are mainly responsible for upholding and protecting the independence of the BBC by acting in the public interest and exercising independent judgment.
Here is who is on the board:
– Shumeet Banerji: Non-executive director
– Sir Damon Buffini: Deputy chairman and chairman of the BBC commercial board
– Sir Robbie Gibb: Member for England
– Muriel Grey: Member for Scotland
– Chris Jones: Non-executive director
– Michael Plaut: Member for Wales
– Michael Smyth: Member for Northern Ireland
– Marinella Soldi: Non-executive director
– Leigh Tavaziva: Chief operating officer
– Caroline Thomson: Senior independent director
Starmer dismisses call to sack Robbie Gibb
Wednesday 12 November 2025 16:28 , Athena StavrouDuring PMQs on Wednesday, Sir Keir Starmer was confronted by Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey about Sir Robbie Gibb’s place on the BBC board.
Sir Ed reiterated his call for the Prime Minister to “sack” BBC board member Sir Robbie Gibb, who he branded a “Conservative crony”, but Sir Keir declined to comment on the “the individual runnings of the BBC”.
Starmer urges BBC to 'get house in order' after Trump's $1bn legal threat
Wednesday 12 November 2025 16:00 , Athena StavrouReform UK pulls out of BBC documentary after Trump lawsuit threat
Wednesday 12 November 2025 15:13 , Athena StavrouReform UK has reportedly pulled out of a BBC documentary about the party made by the production firm behind the controversial Donald Trump speech edit.
While an internal email by Reform said the production firm involved in the documentary “conducted themselves professionally” on the project, it however advised the members to decline participating in the filming, reported BBC News.
According to the email seen by the broadcaster, it referred Panorama edit of Trump's speech from 6 January 2021 as "disinformation", adding that a decision has been made to “cease engagement” with the documentary.
It continued: "We want to be clear that October Films have always conducted themselves professionally, and there is no suggestion from our side that they would maliciously misrepresent Reform UK.
"However, following the Panorama documentary the trust has been lost, and both BBC and the production company will have to do a lot of hard work to regain that trust."
We must fight for our journalism, defiant BBC boss says after Trump legal threat
Wednesday 12 November 2025 14:47 , Athena StavrouThe departing boss of the BBC has warned staff against the “weaponisation” of criticisms of the corporation as it faces a $1bn (£760m) legal threat from Donald Trump.
Tim Davie admitted the organisation had “made some mistakes that have cost us”, but hit out at the BBC’s “enemies” and urged colleagues “to fight for our journalism” as he addressed staff for the first time since resigning over the way a speech by the US president was edited in an episode of Panorama.
Read more in this report by Whitehall Editor Kate Devlin:
We must fight for our journalism, defiant BBC boss says after Trump legal threat
Comment: The BBC should stand up to Trump’s $1bn legal demand – it would probably win in court
Wednesday 12 November 2025 14:22 , Athena StavrouThe US president’s threat to sue Auntie over its January 6 coverage may thrill his base – but legally, it’s a non-starter, says Mark Stephens.
The real risk lies in how the broadcaster responds:
The BBC should stand up to Trump’s $1bn legal demand – it would probably win in court
Recap: US president says he has ‘obligation’ to sue BBC
Wednesday 12 November 2025 13:55 , Athena StavrouUS president Donald Trump has said that he has an “obligation” to sue BBC, over the way his speech on 6 January was edited.
Speaking for the first time since his lawyers threatened BBC with a $1bn lawsuit, he told Fox News that his speech was “butchered” and presented in a way that “defrauded” the viewers.
The president, appearing on Fox News's The Ingraham Angle, was asked if he would move forward with the lawsuit.
What difficulty could Trump face in launching a case against the BBC?
Wednesday 12 November 2025 13:28 , Athena StavrouMedia lawyer Mark Stephens has outlined the “legal trip wires” for Mr Trump to secure victory in a case against the BBC.
For the case to go ahead, Mr Stephens said Mr Trump’s legal team would have to show that the programme had been aired in the US state of Florida.
The BBC has not confirmed if it was, but on its website, it states that viewers watching iPlayer, the platform on which the programme was aired, had to be in the UK to stream and download content.
It’s not yet clear if the programme was shared on the BBC’s global news feed. The Independent has contacted the BBC to ask if it was.
Mr Stephens said: “The problem for President Trump’s lawyers is that Panorama wasn’t broadcast in the USA and BBC iPlayer isn’t available in the USA, so it’s not clear if any US court would have jurisdiction to hear the claim.”
Editorial: To be saved, BBC must be reformed
Wednesday 12 November 2025 13:00 , Athena Stavrou This BBC crisis is about more than one stupid error – to be saved it must be reformed
Criticism of position of ex-Tory aide on BBC board
Wednesday 12 November 2025 12:41 , Athena StavrouSir Robbie Gibb's position on the BBC board is being called into question amid bias accusations at the broadcaster.
Sir Robbie served as director of communications for Theresa May when she was in Downing Street as Conservative prime minister before his appointment to the broadcaster's board.
Scotland's First Minister John Swinney said his position fuelled doubt and debate about BBC independence and impartiality.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said Sir Robbie should be removed from the board immediately.
SNP leader Mr Swinney told LBC: "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."
In The Guardian, Sir Ed wrote that Sir Robbie should not have a say in choosing the BBC's next director-general.
BBC must get 'house in order': Starmer
Wednesday 12 November 2025 12:23 , Athena StavrouSir Keir Starmer has said the BBC must get their “house in order” when mistakes are made, as Donald Trump’s legal threat looms.
The prime minister was asked by Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey whether he would tell the US president to drop his legal threat.
Sir Keir said he will “always stand up for a strong, independent BBC” and added: “The argument for an impartial British news service is stronger than ever, and where mistakes are made they do need to get their house in order and the BBC must uphold the highest standards, be accountable and correct errors quickly.
“But I will always stand up for a strong, independent BBC.”
Rees-Mogg: BBC should 'settle with Trump' for being 'horribly wrong'
Wednesday 12 November 2025 11:54 , Athena StavrouActing head of BBC News to address staff - reports
Wednesday 12 November 2025 11:32 , Athena StavrouThe acting head of BBC News is set to address staff today, according to reports.
Jonathan Munro, who is currently the deputy head of news, will be taking charge of the news operation after CEO Deborah Turness announced she will be stepping down.
Turness has not yet officially left the job as of yet, but in a call yesterday Tim Davie said Munro would be leading news for at least a few days.
Abortion Rights condemns memo labeling ‘reproductive rights’ as 'contested' term
Wednesday 12 November 2025 11:14 , Athena StavrouAbortion rights campaigners have criticised Michael Prescott’s memo for labelling the term “reproductive rights” as “contested.
In the former BBC adviser’s leaked memo, he wrote that the BBC “focused too heavily” on Harris campaign issues such as abortion and women’s rights.
He wrote the BBC sometimes “fell into using, without attribution, contested language such as ‘reproductive rights’”, adding he thought this signalled to viewers a “biased mindset”.
Kerry Abel, chair of Abortion Rights, said she was “shocked” to see the term - which is recognised by the UN - was labelled “contested”.
“Labelling it ‘contested’ risks obscuring the reality of the issues at stake and undermines trust in accurate, rights-based reporting,” she said.
Recap: Davie explains his departure
Wednesday 12 November 2025 10:55 , Athena StavrouWhile speaking to staff on a call on Tuesday morning, outgoing director general Tim Davie gave three key reasons for his departure.
BBC News reported he said the relentlessness of the role, the upcoming Charter renewal and criticism of the Panorama documentary on Trump were all contributing factors.
Majority believe BBC should apologise - poll
Wednesday 12 November 2025 10:27 , Athena StavrouThe majority of Britons believe the BBC should apologise to Donald Trump over the editing of his speech in a panorama documentary.
A new YouGov poll found 57 per cent of respondents believed the BBC should apologise, while 25 per cent believed they shouldn’t and 18 percent didn’t know.
90 per cent of Reform voters believed the BBC should apologise, compared to 75 per cent of Conservatives, 55 per cent of Lib Dems and 51 per cent of Labour voters.
Only 35 per cent of 18-25 year olds believed the broadcaster should say sorry, compared to 70 per cent of people aged over 65.
Trump defends 'very calming' and 'beautiful' speech
Wednesday 12 November 2025 10:02 , Athena StavrouAs he said he had an “obligation” to sue the BBC, Donald Trump characterised his January 6 2021 speech as “very calming” and “beautiful”.
"They actually changed my January 6 speech, which was a beautiful speech, which was a very calming speech, and they made it sound radical," Trump told Fox News.
"They showed me the results of how they butchered it up. It was very dishonest and the head man quit and a lot of the other people quit."
Trump delivered his speech before his supporters stormed the US Capitol.
Though he did tell the crowd to march “peacefully and patriotically”, he later told them to “fight like hell”.
Who is Robbie Gibb, the man at the heart of the BBC scandal with links to Boris Johnson?
Wednesday 12 November 2025 09:40 , Athena StavrouBBC staffers and leading political figures are calling for Sir Robbie Gibb to step down from the BBC board.
So, who is the Tory ‘agent’ at the centre of a tangled web of politics and media interests, asks Katie Rosseinsky:
Who is Robbie Gibb, Boris’s man at the heart of the BBC scandal?
35,000 call for BBC to not compensate Trump
Wednesday 12 November 2025 09:22 , Athena StavrouOver 35,000 people have backed a petition calling for the BBC to rule out compensating Donald Trump as his legal challenge looms.
The petition, on Change.org, says it would be “inappropriate and against the ethos of public service broadcasting,” and states that if any compensation were paid, an equivalent refund should be made to TV licence payers.
It says: “This would serve not only as a gesture of goodwill but also as a reassurance to the public that their money will not be used for questionable financial settlements.”
MP calls for all political appointees to be removed from BBC board
Wednesday 12 November 2025 09:02 , Athena StavrouLiberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper said the crisis at the BBC has provided an “opportunity” to “take away all the people who were political appointees”.
Ms Cooper told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme: “We Liberal Democrats don’t think that there should be any political appointees and we would like to see legislation to bring back the independent appointments process for the BBC board.”
The St Albans MP added: “I do think that this crisis in the BBC provides an opportunity for us to clear up the BBC and to make sure we can safeguard its independence for future.
“When you look at independent editorial decisions that have been made on particular stories, there’s no doubt in my mind that the BBC has, on a number of occasions, been pretty sloppy, and it’s been very slow at correcting them.
“But I think ultimately this is an opportunity, this crisis, and the way we make the most of that, to protect the BBC, to safeguard its future and to protect its independence, is to make sure that we can take away all the people who were political appointees.”
Trump: I have an obligation to sue BBC
Wednesday 12 November 2025 08:47 , Athena StavrouHow could the BBC defend itself if sued in the US?
Wednesday 12 November 2025 08:30 , Namita SinghThe First Amendment of the US Constitution guarantees the right to free speech and gives the press some of the world's strongest legal protections against defamation claims.
The BBC would have those protections in any US court. In Florida, the broadcaster could also rely on a state law that allows defendants to swiftly dismiss defamation lawsuits that have no merit or are brought to retaliate against legally protected speech.
The broadcaster could argue that the documentary was substantially true and that its editing decisions did not create a false impression, legal experts said. It could also claim the program did not damage Trump's reputation.
Trump has said it caused him "overwhelming reputational and financial harm".
Analysis: Starmer won’t be able to duck questions on Trump BBC legal threat for much longer
Wednesday 12 November 2025 08:15 , Namita SinghKeir Starmer is expected to face questions on Donald Trump’s extraordinary $1bn legal threat to the BBC later when he stands up at PMQs for the first time in two weeks.
Downing Street has repeatedly refused to get involved in the row - saying it is one for the broadcaster.
But with licence fee payers potentially on the hook for any compensation that has to be paid to the US president the PM cannot avoid questions on the issue for much longer.
What would Trump need to prove if suing in the US?
Wednesday 12 November 2025 08:02 , Namita SinghPublic figures in the US face steep hurdles in defamation cases.
In addition to showing a statement was false and defamatory, they must prove a defendant knew the statement was false or recklessly disregarded the truth.
During a process known as discovery, Trump's lawyers likely would ask the BBC if there are internal communications showing that red flags were ignored or that BBC journalists intended to mislead viewers, legal experts said.
They added Trump could rely on a leaked internal BBC memo, written by an ethics and standards adviser, which raised concerns about systemic bias at the broadcaster in favor of the political left.
The memo's critique of the "Panorama" editing process could buttress Trump's argument that the BBC acted maliciously.
Voices: Trump has taken his media war global – and the BBC is making it easy for him
06:05 , Namita SinghThe US president is threatening to sue the BBC for $1bn in the latest round of his attacks on the mainstream media. The corporation has made mistakes but this is the moment to fight back, writes Jon Sopel
Trump has taken his media war global – and the BBC is helping him
Strictly star La Voix makes awkward BBC resignation joke during live show as host left speechless
Wednesday 12 November 2025 07:45 , Namita Singh Strictly star makes awkward BBC resignation joke during live show
Can Trump sue the BBC in the US?
Wednesday 12 November 2025 07:30 , Namita SinghDonald Trump's lawyers suggested in the letter that he would sue in Florida, where he has legal residency.
A threshold question would be whether the BBC has actively sought to establish a presence in Florida and whether people in the state watched the documentary and felt deceived by it, legal experts said.
These factors could be critical when a court considers whether it has jurisdiction over the case.
The documentary was not broadcast in the US but was available until recently on the BBC's online streaming platform.
The broadcaster has offices in Los Angeles and New York, and it has been sued before in Florida federal court. In at least one case, it did not challenge the Florida court's jurisdiction, court records show.
If a court concludes it does not have jurisdiction, the case could be quickly dismissed.
The BBC has crisis in its bones – but this row is part of a concerted right-wing assault on the institutions of civil society
Wednesday 12 November 2025 07:20 , Namita SinghFrom Winston Churchill to Margaret Thatcher, the BBC’s entire history has been a story of one crisis after another.
But after this week’s double resignation, it’s hard to avoid the conclusion that ‘good faith’ arguments about editorial mistakes are hiding a bigger and more dangerous picture, writes David Hendy, author of ‘The BBC: A People’s History’
This BBC row is part of a concerted right-wing attack on our precious civil Society