Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is facing mounting pressure to intervene in an escalating diplomatic dispute between Donald Trump and the BBC, after the US President threatened to sue the British broadcaster for up to $5 billion (£3.79 billion).
A Call to 'Stand Up for Britain'
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has publicly urged the Prime Minister to use his upcoming conversation with President Trump to "demand that he drops his ludicrous lawsuit." Speaking on Saturday, Davey framed this as a critical moment for Starmer to prove his mettle, stating he must "stand up for Britain, for every TV licence fee payer in the country and for a free press."
The call to action comes after Mr Trump, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday night, declared his intention to sue the BBC for "anywhere between 1 billion dollars and 5 billion dollars, probably sometime next week." This follows an apology issued by the corporation for an editing error in its Panorama programme.
The Panorama Editing Error
The controversy stems from a documentary, Trump: A Second Chance?, which was broadcast just before the 2024 US election. The BBC admitted that its editing of Mr Trump's speech from 6 January 2021 created a "mistaken impression" that he had directly called for violent action.
The programme spliced two clips together, making it appear the President told the crowd: "We're going to walk down to the Capitol… and I'll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell." In response, the BBC's Chair, Samir Shah, sent a personal letter of apology to the White House.
A BBC spokesperson stated: "While the BBC sincerely regrets the manner in which the video clip was edited, we strongly disagree there is a basis for a defamation claim." The corporation has confirmed it will not air the episode again and has published a retraction, but has refused to pay financial compensation.
Leadership Fallout and Precedent
The scandal has already triggered significant internal consequences for the BBC, leading to the resignation of two of its most senior executives: director general Tim Davie and news chief Deborah Turness.
This is not the first legal dispute President Trump has pursued against a media organisation. In a notable precedent, US media giant Paramount agreed to pay Mr Trump $16 million (£13.5 million) in July to settle a lawsuit concerning a 2024 CBS interview with Kamala Harris.
As Prime Minister Starmer prepares for his discussion with the President, he faces a delicate balancing act between maintaining a crucial international relationship and defending a British institution under unprecedented financial and legal threat.
