Featured Image Credit: Suzanne Plunkett - Pool / Getty Images
Topics: News, UK News, Donald Trump, BBC, Politics
Kit Roberts
Topics: News, UK News, Donald Trump, BBC, Politics
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has spoken out on the public row engulfing the BBC, including Donald Trump's threat of legal action.
Trump has threatened to sue to BBC over a Panorama documentary, called Trump: A Second Chance?, released shortly before the 2024 election.
This included footage of a speech that Trump made before rioters stormed the US Capitol building on January 6, 2021.
In the documentary, two clips of his speech, which were actually far apart, had been edited to appear as though he had said them consecutively.
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The POTUS has threatened to sue the BBC for 'anywhere between $1 billion and $5 billion' over the clip, telling Fox News he had an 'obligation' to do so because it had 'defrauded' viewers and 'butchered' the speech.
Now, Sir Keir Starmer has responded to the threat of a huge lawsuit against the BBC.
The prime minister spoke out following a question from Sir Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrat Party, in the House of Commons.
Sir Davey told MPs that 'President Trump is trying to destroy our BBC', as well as accusing the president of attempting to undermine press freedom in the US and the UK.
Responding, Starmer had a shocking five-word statement, telling the house that the BBC must 'get its house in order'.
He said: "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."
The prime minister added: "But I will always stand up for a strong, independent BBC."
Starmer went on to say that 'some would rather the BBC did not exist', adding: "In an age of disinformation, the argument for impartial British news service is stronger than ever."
The scandal has seen BBC director general Tim Davie as well as CEO of news Deborah Turness both stepping down from their roles, as well as an apology from BBC chairman Samir Shah for the 'error of judgement'.
In addition to the threat of legal action from the US president, the BBC is also facing criticism from a report published by Michael Prescott, who had previously been an independent external adviser on the BBC's editorial standards committee.
A memo from Prescott was leaked to UK newspaper The Telegraph, and claimed that the BBC had also had biased coverage of the Israel-Gaza conflict, as well as on transgender rights.
Following the backlash, a BBC spokesperson said: “While the BBC sincerely regrets the manner in which the video clip was edited, we strongly disagree there is a basis for a defamation claim.”