BOSS QUITS OVER BBC DOCTORING OF TRUMP SPEECH

US President calls Tim Davie and news chief ‘very dishonest people’

- MICHAEL KNOWLES

BBC boss Tim Davie has quit amid claims Donald Trump speech footage was doctored.

CEO of news Deborah Turness also resigned as the bias scandal piled further pressure on the under-fire broadcaster.

As director-general, Mr Davie said he had to "take ultimate responsibility" after claims a Panorama documentary edited a speech by the US president, which made it seem he encouraged the Capitol Hill riots on January 6, 2021.

Last night Mr Trump posted a message on Truth Social slamming those "quitting/FIRED, because they were caught 'doctoring' my very good (PERFECT!) speech of January 6th".

Thanking those involved in "exposing these Corrupt Journalists", he added: "These are very dishonest people who tried to step on the scales of a Presidential Election. On top of everything else, they are from a Foreign Country that many consider our Number One Ally.

What a terrible thing for Democracy!" The BBC is expected to issue an apology today. The scandal emerged following the revelation of a scathing 19-page report written by Michael Prescott, a former independent external adviser to the broadcaster's editorial guidelines and standards committee, which told of an anti-Israel bias in the BBC's coverage of the Gaza war.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch last night called for a full-scale reform of the BBC.

She said: "It's right that Tim Davie and Deborah Turness have finally taken responsibility and resigned from the BBC. This has been a catalogue of serious failures that runs far deeper.

"The Prescott report exposed institutional bias that cannot be swept away with two resignations - strong action must be taken on all the issues it raised.