Shumeet Banerji, a non-executive director on the BBC board, has resigned after claiming he was excluded from crucial discussions that led to the resignation of director general Tim Davie and BBC News chief Deborah Turness. In a letter seen by BBC News, Banerji cited governance issues and said he had not been consulted about events preceding the departures.
The resignations of Davie and Turness followed tense board meetings over how to respond to allegations of liberal bias made by Michael Prescott, a former independent adviser to the BBC’s editorial guidelines committee. Prescott’s memo complained of systemic bias in coverage of Donald Trump, Gaza and transgender rights, sparking internal anger.
Banerji’s resignation is seen as a criticism of BBC chair Samir Shah, who has dismissed claims of a right-wing “coup” as fanciful. However, it intensifies focus on board member Sir Robbie Gibb, a former Conservative communications chief who has repeatedly raised bias concerns and was appointed by Boris Johnson.
Banerji was often viewed as a counterweight to Gibb’s complaints, and his exit leaves the BBC further depleted as it seeks a new director general. Some insiders have noted alignment between Gibb’s views and Prescott’s, though Prescott denies a political agenda. It has been established that Gibb was on the panel that appointed Prescott to his advisory role.
The board-level resignation precedes an appearance by Gibb and Prescott before MPs on Monday. Prescott’s memo was leaked to the Daily Telegraph and included concerns about a Panorama edit of a Trump speech, which Trump has threatened to sue over. BBC union Bectu and some MPs have called for Gibb’s removal. A BBC spokesperson thanked Banerji for his service and said a replacement search is under way.
