Shumeet Banerji criticised BBC chair’s handling of bias crisis in resignation letter

A former BBC board member who resigned last week shared his resignation letter with BBC News, shedding new light on the events that led to the departure of the company’s chief executive and news chief executive.

Shumeet Banerji He resigned on Friday “Management problems” are suggested, but the exact reasons were not known until now.

In her damning letter, she said news boss Deborah Turness had been told she “did not have the confidence of the majority of the board”.

However, Banerji wrote that she “was not invited to any meeting where such an important issue would be discussed.”

Details of the letter will arrive one day After the company’s chairman, Samir Shah, told a committee of elected MPs: He said he believed he consulted Banerji and the two had a “26-minute conversation.”

Banerji told BBC News on Tuesday that she was following the committee’s debate with interest.

He added: “My resignation letter may clarify my reasons for resigning. It may also serve to inform misunderstandings that may arise among committee members and the audience.”

​​Davie and Turness resigned as a result of disagreements over the Panorama episode, which compiled parts of US President Donald Trump’s 2021 speech.

The incident was sparked by a leaked memo to the board from Michael Prescott, a former outside consultant.

Concerns have since been raised in some quarters about how the BBC board operates. The board of directors is responsible for the company’s oversight and strategy.

​​In her letter, Banerji wrote: “I will not be considered a participant in a board decision in which I was not consulted or, in my opinion, inadequately discussed.”

​​On Monday, MPs asked Shah directly about Banerji’s resignation and rejected claims that he was not consulted about the events leading to the departure of Turness and Davie.

​Shah told the committee that he had a “26-minute meeting” with Banerji on Sunday and responded, “I was both disappointed and surprised by what she had to say.” “I would say he was consulted.”

Banerji’s resignation letter describes a different version of events. He said two board meetings were held to discuss the crisis at the company after the Prescott memo was leaked.

He was unable to attend the first meeting, but was surprised to learn at the second meeting that Turness had been told he “did not have the confidence of the majority of the board.”

“I have never been invited to any meeting where such an important issue would be discussed,” he wrote.

“Your office also made no immediate request to discuss our whereabouts. I requested a phone call with you yesterday.

“You may have talked to every executive and said yes or no, but the reason there are boards is to have reasoned discussions about important issues. That hasn’t happened.”

He also said he was not surprised that Davie also resigned because he saw the board’s lack of trust in the news director as “a direct attack on him as editor-in-chief and CEO.”

​​He suggested the board was acting “in the heat of press accusations” and concluded: “The lesson of the BBC’s critics is leak and launch. Will the departure of two of our most senior, respected and loved executives make the BBC stronger? Somehow I very much doubt it.”

Publication of the full letter increases the pressure on the Shah. Following the questioning of culture committee chair Caroline Dinenage on Monday. Whether the BBC is in “safe hands” under his stewardship.

Banerji’s letter also gives an insight into what was happening behind the scenes as the crisis unfolded. Although this letter paints a different picture, board members at the committee hearing made an effort to present a tone of unity.

This also helps explain what board member Caroline Thomson described as “consistent and sharp disagreement.”

BBC News had already reported that the board blocked Turness and the news division from apologizing for the Donald Trump edit after the Telegraph began reporting on the leaked memo.

Appearing before the committee on Monday, Shah told MPs that his apology “took time” because “I had to make sure that what I was apologizing for was fully sourced and fully accurate.”

Banerji argues that the board made Turness’ position untenable.

Someone inside the process told me that he had already decided to resign because he lacked trust in the board and saw them as a “circular firing squad.” The insider added that he felt the crisis was beyond recovery and that this was the right thing to do.

Banerji, who has been a non-executive board member since 2022, is the founder of a consultancy and investment firm specializing in technology companies. He previously ran Booz & Company, a management consulting firm.

The BBC’s 12-member board is responsible for ensuring it delivers on its public service mission and sets the strategic direction of the company, which is largely funded by license fee payers.

Non-executive members hold the BBC’s senior management accountable. The board is chaired by Shah, a former documentary producer.