BBC vows to fight Trump’s $10 billion defamation suit over Panorama editing – latest

Sir John Whittingdale, the former Culture Secretary who led the previous charter renewal talks with the BBC, has told Independent Sir Keir Starmer should have intervened earlier to stop Trump from taking legal action.

“At the end of the day this is our national broadcaster we’re talking about and it’s extremely damaging for this to happen,” he said.

“I think the action is largely symbolic because it would be very difficult for Donald Trump to prove harm, but it should never have got to this point.

“The Prime Minister is supposed to have this strong relationship with the President and he should have intervened in the conversation with him before this happened.

“He definitely needs to get on the phone to the president about this now. It’s bad for the BBC, bad for Britain’s reputation and bad for Trump himself.”

Political correspondent for The Independent milly cook Report:

Sir Keir Starmer has said there are “obviously areas we disagree on” following Donald Trump’s decision to sue the BBC for $10 billion.

It is understood that both the leaders have not talked for 24 hours since the news of registration of the case came to light. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said, “Any legal action is a matter for the BBC”.

he adds: “[The prime minister] Has strong relations with the President. “The president has said the same thing in a different way, but there are areas on which we clearly disagree.”

Downing Street has said Sir Keir Starmer has not spoken to Donald Trump since filing a $10 billion lawsuit against the BBC on Monday.

It says it will “always defend the principle of a strong, independent BBC” but that it is “vitally important” that the broadcaster works to “maintain trust, making quick corrections when mistakes are made”.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “Obviously you have seen the BBC’s response, and any legal action is a matter for the BBC.

“They have made clear that they believe there is no case anywhere near the broader point of libel or defamation, but it is for them and their legal teams to engage, but as we have said before, we will always defend the principle of a strong, independent BBC as a trusted and credible national broadcaster, reporting without fear or favour.

“But as we have said consistently, it is extremely important that they work to maintain trust, quickly correcting mistakes when they happen.”

Asked whether it would be acceptable for license fee payers to fund a potential defamation settlement, he said: “I think we’re getting ahead of ourselves a bit.”

Richard Tice has refused to criticize a comment made by Reform UK’s mayoral candidate, who said Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy should “go home” to the Caribbean.

Reform deputy leader Mr Tice could not be reached for comment following a series of questions about Hampshire and Solent mayoral candidate Chris Parry’s comments during a press conference on Tuesday.

“I am not familiar with what was said,” Mr. Tice told reporters.

“After all, David Lammy, he is a cabinet minister. Whether we think he is doing a good job or a bad job, it is just part of politics.

“That’s everyday life and I’m sure he’ll keep claiming he’s doing a great job. We challenge him.”

After Mr Perry’s comments were read, Mr Tice declined to respond further, saying only: “I have responded.”

Tory party leader Kemi Badenoch has been cited in Donald Trump’s trial over his claims over the BBC’s “fake news”.

The lawsuit states: “Conservative Party leader and Member of Parliament Kemi Badenoch said the speech was distorted.” panorama The documentary was ‘absolutely shocking’, he added: ‘This is fake news, literally putting together different things to make something look different than it actually was.’

“She continued: ‘And I think the heads should be bowed. Whoever did this should be sacked, that’s what Tim Davie should be doing, identifying those spreading misinformation and sacking them.’

“Badenoch added: ‘The public needs to be able to trust our public broadcaster… They should not be telling us things that are not true. This is a corporation that needs to hold itself to the highest standards, and that means when we see people doing wrong, they should be punished, they should be fired.'”

Outgoing BBC Director General Tim Davie has reacted to the launch of the royal charter review, saying the BBC wants change “so we can continue to deliver for the UK for generations to come”.

He said, “We welcome the publication of the Government’s Green Paper and the launch of a public consultation on the future of the BBC.”

“We urge everyone who cares about the success of Britain’s world-leading creative industries to have their say.

“At the BBC we want change so we can continue to deliver for the UK for generations to come.

“We want to secure a public service BBC that is independent, funded over the long term and meets the needs of our audiences.”

Richard Tice, deputy leader of Reform UK, has announced a working group to investigate issues in the “broken” special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system.

He told a Westminster press conference that the group would be chaired by Reform’s Greater Lincolnshire mayor Dame Andrea Jenkins.

“The SEND system in the UK is broken, and Reform is committed to fixing it. And that’s why I’m announcing today that we are setting up a SEND Working Group, chaired by Dame Andrea Jenkins, who has considerable professional and personal experience in this area.”

He said reform councilors and experts will also join the group, which will produce an interim report in the first quarter of 2026.

A group of 51 MPs and peers have come together to write to Home Secretary David Lammy over the fate of eight Palestine Action protesters on hunger strike in prison.

The letter, seen by the Press Association, expresses “disappointment” at the government’s “lack of action to protect the health and well-being of British citizens”.

Labor MPs Rachel Maskell (York Central), Bel Ribeiro-Eadie (Clapham and Brixton Hill), Paula Barker (Liverpool Wavertree), Mary Kelly Foy (Durham City) and Simon Ofer (Stroud) are among the 51 signatories to the letter.

Also on the list are former Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn and House of Assembly mother Diane Abbott, now an independent MP, as well as Labor MP John McDonnell (Hayes and Harlington).

A Justice Ministry spokesperson responded that the Deputy Prime Minister was “being kept informed of the situation” and that “appropriate action” would always be taken.

The NHS is bracing itself for resident doctors to go on a five-day strike from 7am tomorrow.

It comes after British Medical Association (BMA) members voted to reject Wes Streeting’s latest proposal and proceed with industrial action before Christmas.

Former BMA member Lord Winston, who left the union in protest at the strikes, said on Monday he thought people would die as a result.

But BMA chiefs have rejected claims that people could die. Dr Shivam Sharma, vice-chair of the BMA’s resident doctors’ committee, told LBC radio: “I completely disagree with this, and I want to be evidence-based – we know that senior colleagues, consultants will be covering this strike action, and we know studies have shown that death rates do not increase, they remain the same, if not decrease, during strike action because we have experienced senior consultants who are covering.

“And really, what is dangerous for patients is a continuation of this trend where doctors continue to leave, patients are not getting the care they deserve, and doctors are feeling like they are in a system that is failing them.”