Key figures in BBC crisis to be questioned by MPs

Senior figures involved in the BBC’s recent troubles will be questioned by MPs on Monday.

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

An internal memo written by Prescott was leaked to the press. Resignations of BBC chief executive and head of news earlier this month.

BBC chief Samir Shah will also give evidence. who is under pressure Kudos to board members Sir Robbie Gibb and Caroline Thomson for their handling of the incident.

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

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

On Friday, a board member said, Shumeet Banerji resigned BBC media editor Katie Razzall said it “appeared to be a direct criticism” of Shah about what she called “management problems” at the top of the corporation.

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

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

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

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

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

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

He said: “The BBC Board must now begin the long process of rebuilding the company’s reputation both at home and abroad, following 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 outlet, including allegations of institutional bias and political interference.

Culture Minister Lisa Nandy said: It was stated that the perception of political influence was a “problem” and that there was “a real concern, which I share, that political appointments to the BBC board undermine trust and confidence in the impartiality of the BBC”.

He promised to look into the issue as part of the company’s next contract review.

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

He sits on the BBC board’s editorial guidelines and standards committee (EGSC), alongside Shah, Davie and Thomson, the BBC’s former chief operating officer.

The parliamentary committee said Monday’s hearing will focus on how the EGSC “ensures its processes and outputs comply with the BBC’s broadcasting guidelines”.

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

The session comes as the BBC waits to discover whether Trump will take legal action after threatening to sue the company for between $1bn (£759.8m) and $5bn (£3.8bn) over its Panorama edit.