British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Wednesday a strong and independent BBC was needed in a time of disinformation but he said the broadcaster must get its "house in order" after US President Donald Trump threatened legal action.
The British Broadcasting Corporation has been plunged into its biggest crisis in decades after its two most senior staff, its director general and head of news, quit following criticism over standards and accusations of bias at the BBC, including over how it edited a speech by Trump.
Starmer, who has built a solid relationship with Trump, was asked in parliament if he would tell the US president to drop his threat of a $1 billion lawsuit against the BBC which is funded by a broadcasting levy on British households.
"Let me be clear, I believe in a strong and independent BBC," he said. "Some would rather the BBC didn't exist. Some of them are sitting up there," he said, pointing to opposition lawmakers.
"I'm not one of them. In an age of disinformation, the argument for 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."
Trump says he has an 'obligation' to sue BBC
Donald Trump said on Monday that he has an "obligation" to sue BBC for misrepresenting his comments ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021 attacks on the U.S. Capitol.
"Well, I think I have an obligation to do it," Trump told Fox News host Laura Ingraham in an interview.
BBC chair Samir Shah said the broadcaster accepted “that the way the speech was edited did give the impression of a direct call for violent action”.
The BBC has not yet formally responded to the demand from Florida-based Trump attorney Alejandro Brito that it “retract the false, defamatory, disparaging and inflammatory statements,” apologise and “appropriately compensate President Trump for the harm caused” by Friday, or face legal action for $1 billion in damages.
Nigel Huddleston, media spokesman for the opposition Conservative Party, said the BBC should “provide a fulsome apology to the US president" to avoid legal action.
Legal experts say Trump is likely too late to sue the BBC in Britain, because a one-year deadline to file a defamation suit has expired. He could still bring a defamation claim in several US states, and his lawyer cited Florida law in a letter to the BBC, but faces considerable legal hurdles.
The publicly funded BBC is a century-old national institution under growing pressure in an era of polarised politics and changing media viewing habits.
Funded through an annual license fee of 174.50 pounds ($230) paid by all households who watch live TV or any BBC content, the broadcaster is frequently a political football, with conservatives seeing a leftist slant in its news output and some liberals accusing it of having a conservative bias.
Governments of both left and right have long been accused of meddling with the broadcaster, which is overseen by a board that includes both BBC nominees and government appointees.
Some defenders of the BBC allege that board members appointed under previous Conservative governments have been undermining the corporation from within.
Pressure on the broadcaster has been growing since the right-leaning Daily Telegraph published parts of a dossier compiled by Michael Prescott, who had been hired to advise the BBC on standards and guidelines. As well as the Trump edit, Prescott criticized the BBC's coverage of transgender issues and raised concerns of anti-Israel bias in the BBC's Arabic service.
Near the BBC's London headquarters, some passersby said the scandal would further erode trust in a broadcaster already under pressure.
Amanda Carey, a semi-retired lawyer, said the editing of the Trump speech is “something that should never have happened."
“The last few scandals that they've had, trust in the BBC is very much waning and a number of people are saying they're going to refuse to pay the license (fee)," she said.
A growing number of people argue that the license fee is unsustainable in a world where many households watch little or no traditional TV.
Nandy said the government will soon start the once-a-decade process of reviewing the BBC's governing charter, which expires at the end of 2027. She said the government would ensure the BBC is “sustainably funded (and) commands the public's trust," but did not say whether the license fee might be scaled back or scrapped.
Davie, who announced his resignation as BBC director-general on Sunday, acknowledged that “we have made some mistakes that have cost us.”
But, he added: "We've got to to fight for our journalism."