Sir Keir Starmer is set to step into the biggest BBC crisis in decades by defending the broadcaster’s independence, while insisting it must “get its house in order” amid Donald Trump’s soaring legal threat. At PMQs earlier this week, Sir Keir declared that he “believes in a strong, independent BBC,” while acknowledging that some would prefer the corporation did not exist. Yet, he was unflinching in warning: "Where mistakes are made, they do need to get their house in order".
His call for accountability comes as Mr Trump has threatened a $1billion (£760million) lawsuit against the BBC, accusing it of defamation over its edited version of his January 6, 2021, speech. In a Fox News interview, the US president claimed the BBC “defrauded the public” by splicing together parts of his speech to make it seem more aggressive. Now, the UK prime minister is bracing for a crucial call with his American counterpart this weekend. The crisis has already led to the resignation of BBC Director-General Tim Davie and Head of News, Deborah Turness.
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This hotly anticipated call comes as former BBC Director-General Lord Hall and Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp weighed in on the debate, stating they did not want to see taxpayers' money handed to Mr Trump.
The row escalated further overnight after it was revealed that the broadcaster commissioned a fierce critic of the US President to deliver its flagship annual lectures.
Dutch author Rutger Bregman used the high-profile events to draw parallels between Trump's America and the rise of fascism in the 1930s. According to the Daily Mail, in one talk due to be aired next week, entitled "A Time Of Monsters", he likened Mr Trump, Nigel Farage and tech billionaires such as Elon Musk to fascists, according to one audience member.
The BBC's decision to invite Mr Bregman – who previously described opposition to Mr Trump in the US as a fight between "good and evil" – will not help in the corporation's defence that it does not suffer from an institutional left-wing bias.
This news comes after Mr Trump told reporters on board Air Force One that he was intending to sue the corporation for "anywhere between $1billion and $5.5billion [£3.8billion], probably sometime next week," over the Panorama episode that was spliced to give the impression that Mr Trump had made a direct call for violent action in Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021.
The corporation has apologised to Mr Trump, but has refused to pay him damages.
After being informed about Mr Bregman's lectures, the White House communications director Steven Cheung said: "The BBC has been caught red-handed doctoring President Trump's remarks on multiple occasions so it's no surprise that they have commissioned a rabid anti-Trump individual to deliver a lecture," the Daily Mail reported.