A former external adviser to the BBC has publicly challenged the narrative of 'serious and systemic problems' with the corporation's impartiality, a claim that recently triggered the resignations of its director general and head of news.
Clashing Testimonies Before MPs
Caroline Daniel, a PR executive and former journalist who served alongside Michael Prescott on the BBC's Editorial Guidelines and Standards Committee (EGSC), told the Commons culture, media and sport committee that his leaked memo presented a skewed picture. She asserted that the BBC 'took issues of impartiality extremely seriously' throughout the period in question.
Daniel described the committee's work as a 'healthy debate and also a very robust debate', adding that in her view, the BBC was willing to have proper conversations and take action on impartiality concerns. She directly countered Prescott's account, stating his memo was a 'personal account rather than a comprehensive review' of the committee's work.
The Leaked Memo and Its Fallout
The controversy stems from a memo written by Michael Prescott, a PR executive and former independent adviser to the EGSC. His document, sent to the BBC's board and later leaked to the Daily Telegraph, contained a series of bias allegations concerning coverage of Donald Trump, Gaza, and trans issues.
Prescott claimed that BBC leaders ignored his concerns or failed to properly address mistakes. This led to the resignations of Director General Tim Davie and BBC News head Deborah Turness. Appearing before the same committee, Prescott conceded his memo was 'unbalanced' as it did not include instances where coverage was praised, but defended it as a 'reasonable edit' of his concerns.
Political Pressure and Boardroom Backing
The leak has intensified scrutiny on BBC board member Robbie Gibb, Theresa May's former communications chief. Gibb, facing calls to resign over his political links, told MPs he had no intention of stepping down and ridiculed the idea of a 'coup from the right' as 'complete nonsense'. He stated, 'I have impartiality through my bones'.
BBC Chair Samir Shah also faced questions over his handling of the crisis, with accusations that delays in the BBC's response left it vulnerable. Shah defended Gibb and confirmed he tried to dissuade Davie from resigning. He also revealed that the BBC is reviewing the composition and function of the EGSC, which some insiders believe gave Gibb disproportionate influence.
On the most serious allegation—that a Panorama programme selectively edited a Donald Trump speech about the US Capitol attack—Prescott said Trump was 'probably not' defamed. Shah and board member Caroline Thomson stated that BBC News wanted to apologise for the edit, though some board members wanted a stronger admission that the show was misleading.
