Departing Davie tells staff to fight for ‘precious’ BBC

Broadcaster ‘likely to defy Trump’ over $1bn lawsuit threat

- KATE DEVLIN

The departing boss of the BBC has warned staff about the “weaponisation” of criticisms of the corporation as it faces a $1bn (£760m) legal threat from Donald Trump.

Tim Davie admitted the organisation had “made some mistakes that have cost us”, but hit out at the BBC’s “enemies” and urged colleagues “to fight for our journalism” as he addressed staff for the first time since resigning over the way a speech by the US president was edited in an episode of Panorama.

His comments came amid growing pressure on the team behind the programme, with two former culture secretaries calling for sanctions against more senior staffers days after Mr Davie and Deborah Turness, the chief executive of BBC News, revealed they would be standing down.

Mr Trump has threatened to sue the BBC for $1bn over its misleading editing of his speech on 6 January 2021 in an episode of Panorama, even after the broadcaster apologised. His lawyers have written to the BBC demanding a retraction and compensation by Friday if the corporation wishes to avoid legal action.

Last night it was reported that the BBC had received legal advice that the president had not been meaningfully damaged by the Panorama edit, which would mean there was no need to pay him compensation. The BBC board would therefore likely fight his demands, ITV reported.

It comes as pressure grows on those behind the Panorama programme, after the chair of the BBC, Samir Shah, said there had been an “error of judgement”. Shadow culture secretary Nigel Huddleston called for the BBC to apologise to Mr Trump “and hopefully avoid legal action”. Former culture secretary Sir John Whittingdale told The Independent: “I do think that Panorama is clearly by far the most obvious and serious failure by the BBC.