Euan Blair's £1.2 billion artificial intelligence company, Multiverse, pressured the BBC to remove an episode of Have I Got News For You from iPlayer after host Victoria Coren Mitchell falsely linked him to the government's proposed digital ID card scheme, it emerged on Tuesday.
The episode, watched by three million viewers on Friday, was pulled from the streaming platform on Saturday following the error. The BBC later apologised, describing it as an 'unintentional editorial oversight', and re-uploaded the episode after editing out the segment.
During the show, Coren Mitchell read a cue card claiming that Multiverse had been chosen to develop the digital ID scheme, adding that it was a 'happy coincidence' that the company is run by the son of former Prime Minister Tony Blair. The claim was incorrect; the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has stated that any scheme would be designed and run in-house, not by the private sector.
Multiverse complained to the BBC on Saturday morning, according to the Daily Mail. The company later thanked Coren Mitchell on social media after she admitted the error, blaming 'fact-checkers'. However, sources indicate that Euan Blair and company executives were furious about the incident.
The controversy comes after the Mail on Sunday reported that Tony Blair secretly lobbied for a billionaire backer who could profit from the ID card plan, a policy the former PM has long championed. Viral social media posts had falsely claimed Multiverse secured the contract, which the company denies.
