Former adviser to the BBC’s editorial guidelines and standards committee Michael Prescott has said when problems at the BBC were spotted, there were “systemic causes” that were not addressed. The author of the leaked report that led to Tim Davie’s resignation told the Culture, Media and Sport Committee:
“What troubled me was that during my three years on the BBC’s standards committee, we kept seeing incipient problems, which I thought were not being tackled properly. And indeed, I thought the problems were getting worse. The root of my disagreement and slight concern even today is that the BBC is not – and I hope they will change – treating these as having systemic causes. There’s real work that needs to be done at the BBC.”
Prescott also said it “seemed that things were getting worse” when it came to bias at the BBC. Meanwhile the corporation is planning to overhaul the way it investigates editorial concerns and is going to create a new deputy director general post. Tough times for the BBC ahead of its funding model review next year…
Starmer loyalist and Housing Secretary Steve Reed told Sky News that Starmer should not be replaced:
“We saw what the Tories did. They were in power for 14 years, and after 2016, I think we had nine education secretaries, seven chancellors, and five Prime Ministers. Doomscrolling through Prime Ministers doesn’t resolve the problem.”