Trump-BBC live: President threatens to sue corporation over Panorama edit

Donald Trump has threatened legal action against the BBC in a letter, BBC News has reported.

The BBC chair earlier told BBC News that they had received communication from President Trump, adding: “We are now considering how to reply to him.”

Asked if Mr Trump has said he will be suing the BBC, Mr Shah said: “I do not know that yet, but he’s a litigious fellow so we should be prepared for all outcomes.”

Trump has filed defamation lawsuits against media companies before, most notably the New York Times.

The prime minister has rejected claims the BBC is “institutionally biased”.

It is understood that No 10 was told yesterday that the senior resignations seen at the broadcaster were imminent.

As Downing Street hit back at claims by US President Donald Trump and other critics of the BBC, the PM’s official spokesman told reporters: “On the question of is the BBC corrupt?: No.

“The BBC has a vital role in an age of disinformation… where there’s a clear argument for a robust, impartial British news service to deliver, and that case is stronger than ever.

“I think I’ve already addressed some of the comments that have been made over the last 24 hours, but we are of the view that it’s important that the BBC acts swiftly to maintain trust and correct mistakes quickly when they occur.”

The spokesman was also asked if Sir Keir Starmer believed the BBC was institutionally biased, and replied: “No, but it is important that the BBC acts to maintain trust and correct mistakes quickly when they occur, because as I say, for any public service broadcaster, accountability is vital to maintain trust.”

The BBC chair has said he does not know whether Donald Trump will sue the BBC, as he said the corporation had been contacted by the US president.

Samir Shah has told BBC News they are “considering how to reply” to communication received from President Trump.

Asked if Mr Trump has said he will be suing the BBC, Mr Shah said: “I do not know that yet, but he’s a litigious fellow so we should be prepared for all outcomes.”

Trump has filed defamation lawsuits against media companies before, most notably the New York Times.

BBC chair Samir Shah has defended the broadcaster, saying it is “simply not true” that the leaked memo “uncovered” issues.

The memo, written by a former external adviser to the BBC’s editorial standards committee, Michael Prescott, raised concerns of institutional bias.

But Mr Shah denied that the BBC has sought to “bury” these issues.

He said in a letter to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee: “There is another view that has gained currency in the coverage that the BBC has done nothing to tackle these problems.

“That is also simply not true.”

The Independent’s political editor David Maddox reports:

Dr Samir Shah’s apologetic letter to the Commons’ culture, media and sport select committee seems unlikely to satisfy members.

The Independent understands that there had been some concerns that he had not already offered to come and address them prior to Tim Davies’ resignation as director general.

Now the committee is set to meet tomorrow in private ahead of hearing evidence from Michael Prescott, the author of the memo which has plunged the BBC into its latest scandal.

Committee chair Dame Caroline Dinenage has told The Independent that the committee will “discuss next steps”.

But that is set to include demands that Dr Shah and other senior figures from the Corporation come and give an account of what has happened, including claims that Mr Davie was the victim of an internal coup.

In his letter to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee on Monday, BBC chair Samir Shah said the corporation had received hundreds of complaints since Michael Prescott’s memo was leaked.

The report was published by The Telegraph, and raised concerns about bias in a Panorama episode in which a speech by Donald Trump was spliced.

He said: “Since the publication of Mr Prescott’s memo, this issue has led to over 500 complaints. These are now being dealt with in the normal way.”

BBC chair Samir Shah has said the corporation would like to “apologise for that error of judgment” over the editing of a speech by Donald Trump for Panorama.

Mr Shah, who was responding to a letter from the Culture, Media and Sport Committee (CMS), said there have been more than 500 complaints since the publication of the memo, adding: “We accept that the way the speech was edited did give the impression of a direct call for violent action.”

The Independent’s political correspondent Caitlin Doherty reports:

Nigel Farage has said that the BBC has been “institutionally biased for decades” and called on the corporation to “get a grip” and hire “somebody in from the outside” in the hunt for a new director general.

Speaking at a press conference in central London, the Reform UK leader also claimed that he had spoken with US President Donald Trump about the matter.“

“I actually spoke to the president on Friday. He just said to me: ‘Is this how you treat your best ally?’” he said.

“It’s quite a powerful comment.”

He also suggested that there could be a surge in the number of people not wanting to pay the licence fee.

“If the BBC doesn’t now get a grip, get somebody in from the outside, somebody who has got a history and a culture of changing organisations, of turning them around, then I think what you would see within the next couple of years are many, many millions just refusing, just not wanting to have the licence fee,” he said.

Tim Davie’s resignation comes after an explosive memo accusing the BBC of bias was leaked last week.

The report by Michael Prescott, a former external adviser to the BBC’s editorial standards committee, was published in full by The Telegraph, sparking intense reaction and criticism.

Here are some key things it included:

• The Panorama documentary Trump: A Second Chance? was “seemed to be taking a distinctly anti-Trump stance” and had “materially misled viewers”.

• The memo said several members of staff had shared concerns about the BBC’s coverage of transgender issues. He said there had been stories “celebrating the trans experience without adequate balance or objectivity”.

• Prescott said there had been a “selection bias” in favour of certain stories being sent as push notifications to the BBC app. The memo says there was a bias against sending stories about migration and asylum seekers.

• He also said there had been “ill-researched” stories about racism, including a BBC Verify story about a correlation between higher car insurance premiums in ethnically diverse areas. The story has now been removed.

• Prescott highlighted concerns of biased reporting on the BBC’s Arabic service and in other coverage of Gaza.

Ed Davey has written fellow party leaders from across the political spectrum, asking them to join him in defending the BBC from Donald Trump.

The leader of the Liberal Democrats penned a letter to Sir Keir Starmer, Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage, urging them to condemn the US president.

Mr Davey said: “The BBC belongs to Britain, not Trump. We must defend it together.”