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The BBC is under attack as never before. Donald Trump and his cronies have it squarely in their sights – and there are no prizes for guessing why. The BBC is the world’s number one source of trusted news, so of course snake-oil salesmen such as Trump see it as their enemy. If your power is built on conspiracy theories and distortions of the truth, the last thing you want is respected, independent journalists exposing that and holding you to account.
That’s why rightwing populists have been attacking the BBC for years. Dominic Cummings (remember him?) once oversaw a report that called it the “mortal enemy” of the Conservative party and set out a plan to undermine it with a new “Fox News equivalent”. In 2019, Nigel Farage called the BBC “the enemy”. In 2021, Boris Johnson appointed two Conservative cronies – Richard Sharp and Robbie Gibb – to the BBC board, as chair and non-executive director respectively.
And now the president of the United States is getting in on the act. Attacking its journalists as “corrupt”. Rejoicing at the resignation of the BBC’s director general and its CEO of News. Threatening legal action. His White House press secretary even tweeted that “Everyone should watch GB News!”, as if the US government has a role in telling British people where to get their news.
This disturbing escalation in the assault on the BBC should be incredibly alarming to anyone who cares about truth, accountability and democracy. Trump and his mates are trying to destroy one of our most precious British institutions, and we must act fast to stop them.
Of course, the BBC is not perfect. How could it be? I’ve had my share of disagreements and frustrations with it in recent years – not least when it comes to the amount of airtime it gives Farage, without properly scrutinising his record on immigration, the economy or the rest of the damage he’s done to our country. And the Panorama documentary at the centre of the latest controversy clearly got it wrong. As the BBC has now admitted, the way Trump’s speech was edited was an error of judgment and it’s right the BBC has apologised.
But come on. Trump complaining about words being taken out of context? Worried that people might be misled? Give me a break. Trump has crippled America’s public broadcasters with funding cuts, banned journalists from the Pentagon, and brought a $10bn lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal. Let’s be clear – Trump and his friends are not brave crusaders fighting for journalistic integrity and factual reporting. They are seizing on a single mistake by one BBC programme as an excuse to undermine the whole organisation. We simply cannot let that happen.
The BBC is a little like a wayward family member. I don’t always like what it does, but I will always love it. And I will always treasure it. To save the BBC, we have to make sure it remains focused on its original mission: to inform, educate and entertain. It must not be coerced into doing Trump’s bidding, or bullied into giving undue prominence to the loudest, most divisive voices. The BBC’s strength lies in its independence and impartiality. That has been eroded, not least by Conservative politicians when they were in government. It is critical that we now repair it, to ensure it is properly independent and strong enough to stand up to political pressure, whether foreign or domestic.
Fortunately, Johnson’s pick for BBC chair, Sharp, is already gone – he resigned two years ago over his links to a secret loan of up to £800,000 to … guess who? Boris Johnson. But Gibb is still there, as a member of the board that will choose the next director general of the BBC – a hugely important decision at this critical moment.
Not only was Gibb the director of communications for Conservative prime minister Theresa May, and editorial adviser at GB News before being appointed by Johnson. He has also been accused of interfering with editorial decisions in a way that is totally unacceptable for a member of the board.
To ensure the BBC’s independence, impartiality and trust, Gibb should have no role in appointing the new director general. The government should remove him from the board immediately – and end the practice of political appointments, which so badly undermines the BBC, altogether.
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The BBC belongs to us all. We own it, we pay for it, and we treasure it. We cannot let it be destroyed by its enemies – whether that’s Trump, Farage, the Conservative party or anyone else.
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Ed Davey is the leader of the Liberal Democrats and MP for Kingston and Surbiton
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