BBC-Trump crisis live: Broadcaster apologizes to President but rejects demand for $1 billion

The shadow culture secretary has said Donald Trump deserves a “full apology” and called for a “fundamental review” of the BBC’s procedures.

Nigel Huddleston MP wrote on social media: “I am pleased that the BBC has said it is sorry and acknowledged the mistakes it has made. The President of the United States deserves a full apology.

“We look forward to hearing whether the US President considers the apology sufficient. I do not want British license fee payers or the rest of the BBC to pay the price of poor editorial decisions made by BBC journalists.

“However, we would all be better off if the BBC had never made these mistakes in the first place.

“The BBC needs a fundamental review of processes and procedures to ensure that such failures in impartiality never happen again. Further revelations of historical errors this evening are worrying.”

The corporation said on Thursday evening that Chairman Sameer Shah has sent personal Letter written to White House, apologize How did Trump’s speech unfold? panorama The episode aired last October.

However, the broadcaster has refused to compensate the President, saying: “Strongly disagrees that there is a basis for a defamation claim”.

Trump has threatened to sue BBC Over editing of the speech, which made it appear as if he was explicitly urging people to attack the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. His lawyers had written a letter to the corporation earlier this week demanding refund and compensation by Friday.

Richard Tice, deputy leader of Reform UK, said: “With the shocking news of Trump’s second edit, it is clear that BBC News is infected with anti-Trump poison.

“We have consistently said that a greater clarification is needed; this requires additional evidence.”

Chairman Samir Shah has sent a personal letter to the White House to apologize for the edit, and lawyers for the corporation have written to the president’s legal team, a BBC The spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said: “While the BBC deeply regrets the way the video clip was edited, we strongly disagree that there is a basis for a defamation claim.”

The broadcaster said it was planning to air the Panorama episode Trump: A Second Chance? Will not broadcast. again, and published a retraction on the show’s webpage on Thursday.

The spokesperson said: “The BBC has no plans to re-broadcast the documentary Trump: A Second Chance? on any BBC platform.”

The BBC faced renewed scrutiny after it emerged it was accused of misleading viewers about a speech by President Donald Trump two years before the Capitol riots. panorama The episode aired at the center of the corporation’s current controversy.

In a BBC Newsnight episode broadcast in June 2022, an edited speech similar to the one reportedly used on the show was played panorama case. According to, concerns were raised at an editorial meeting but were dismissed Wire,

The clip shows the president urging Capitol protesters to “fight like hell.”

BBC is involved in the latest controversy panorama episode called Trump: Second chance?Which critics have described as misleading in the way the President’s speech was edited on January 6, 2021.

us President Reflecting on the resignations itself, he said the documentary, which aired a week before last year’s US presidential election, was an attempt to “take action on the scale of a presidential election”.

After days of controversy and a $1 billion legal threat by the US president, the BBC on Thursday apologized to Donald Trump over an edited speech. panorama case.

A BBC spokesperson said: “BBC lawyers have written to President Trump’s legal team in response to a letter received on Sunday.

“Separately, BBC Chairman Samir Shah has sent a personal letter to the White House making clear to President Trump that he and the corporation regret the editing of the President’s speech on January 6, 2021, which was shown on the program.

“The BBC has no plans to re-broadcast the documentary Trump: Second chance? On any BBC platform.

“Although the BBC sincerely regrets the way the video clip was edited, we strongly disagree that there is a basis for a defamation claim.”

Speaking on a call with staff on Tuesday morning, outgoing director general Tim Davie gave three key reasons for his departure.

BBC News reported that he said the continuity of the role, the upcoming charter renewal and criticism of the Panorama documentary on Trump were all contributing factors.

The corporation said on Thursday evening that Chairman Sameer Shah has sent personal Letter to the White House to apologize As for how Mr. Trump’s speech appeared panorama The episode aired in October 2024.

However, the broadcaster has refused to compensate the President, saying: “I strongly disagree that there is a basis for a defamation claim.”

BBC’s newsnight Donald Trump’s speech is facing renewed scrutiny after he was accused of editing it to make it appear as if he had issued a more explicit call for violent protests before the Capitol riot.

The departures were sparked by revelations the broadcaster is already under pressure following the resignations of director general Tim Davie and BBC News chief Deborah Turnness panorama Parts of the same Trump speech were similarly stitched together in the 2023 episode.

according to WireThe newsnight Edit Spliced ​​together a segment of Trump’s address on the day of the January 6, 2021 riot, where he urged supporters to march to the Capitol, with a later segment in which he told them to “fight like hell.” The audience was not alerted to the cuts.

At the time, former White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney criticized the on-air editing, saying: “Your video really tied the presentation together. That line about ‘And we fight and fight like hell’ is actually later in the speech.”

Trump has since threatened a billion-dollar lawsuit, according to the White House, and the BBC is considering how to respond to the legal claim.

A BBC spokesperson said: “The BBC holds itself to the highest editorial standards. This matter has been brought to our attention and we are now looking into it.”