Reform UK pulls out of BBC film amid Trump speech edit row
Reform UK has pulled out of a BBC documentary about the party amid a row over the broadcaster’s editing of a Donald Trump speech.The film, which was due to be called the Rise of Reform and would have been presented by Laura Kuenssberg, was being made by the independent production company October Films.The company was involved in a Panorama documentary that led to the resignation of two of the most senior executives at the BBC, the director general, Tim Davie, and Deborah Turness, the chief executive of news.The US president has since said the BBC “defrauded the public” and that he had an “obligation” to take legal action over the misleading editing of the speech, which appeared to show Trump inciting violence before the attack on the US Capitol on 6 January 2021.October Films was not responsible for this edit, which was done by BBC staff.
In an internal email, Reform members were urged to “politely decline to participate” in the film about the party, which was due to air in January, citing “disinformation” in the Trump film,The memo said: “We want to be clear that October Films have always conducted themselves professionally, and there is no suggestion from our side that they would maliciously misrepresent Reform UK,“However, following the Panorama documentary the trust has been lost, and both BBC and the production company will have to do a lot of hard work to regain that trust,”Trump reiterated his threat to launch a billion-dollar legal action during an interview on Fox News,He said: “I think I have an obligation to do it, you can’t allow people to do that.
I guess I have to.They defrauded the public and they’ve admitted it.This is within one of our great allies, supposedly our great ally.“That’s a pretty sad event.They actually changed my January 6 speech, which was a beautiful speech, which was a very calming speech, and they made it sound radical.
They showed me the results of how they butchered it up.It was very dishonest and the head man quit and a lot of the other people quit.”A legal letter sent on behalf of the US president has demanded that “false, defamatory, disparaging, and inflammatory statements” be retracted immediately.Sign up to First EditionOur morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what’s happening and why it mattersafter newsletter promotionThe letter says if the BBC does not comply, Trump will be “left with no alternative but to enforce his legal and equitable rights, all of which are expressly reserved and are not waived, including by filing legal action for no less than 1,000,000,000 dollars in damages”.Keir Starmer had not spoken to Trump about his threatened legal action, Downing Street indicated.
Trump’s comments come ahead of a process to review the BBC’s charter,The culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, said the BBC must “renew its mission for the modern age” and warned MPs criticising the broadcaster to “consider just what is at stake”,She said the review would ensure the BBC was “fiercely independent” and “genuinely accountable” to the public it served,
UK gets record demand at government debt auction; FTSE 100 index has 10,000-point mark in sight – business live
Britain has not lost the support of the bond markets, despite the turmoil in Westminster and uncertainty over this month’s budget.A new auction of inflation-linked UK debt, which matures in 2038, has attracted record demand from investors keen to buy the bonds.According to Reuters, demand for the UK debt broke the previous record.They say:Orders for the 1.75% September 2038 inflation-linked bond topped £69bn, a bookrunner said, beating a previous record of £67
‘Part of the joy economy’: bumper year for UK toys as Wicked dolls and Pokémon appeal to ‘kidults’
There could be tug of war under the Christmas tree this year owing to the growing trend of adult toy collectors, a rundown of the season’s must-haves suggests.Singing Wicked 2 dolls, manga-themed Lego, a Pokémon game and a mini-fridge playset are among the items on the annual DreamToys selection that experts say are as likely to feature on the wishlists of adults as children.In recent years, the industry has been bolstered by the passions of “kidults” (buyers aged 12 and over) who spend their spare cash on expensive Lego sets and collectible figurines. This group is behind £1 in every £3 spent on toys in the UK.Almost half of adults (43%) have bought a toy for themselves or another adult this year – a figure that rises to 76% among gen Z (aged 18 to 28) shoppers, according to figures from the data company Circana
Tech companies and UK child safety agencies to test AI tools’ ability to create abuse images
Tech companies and child protection agencies will be given the power to test whether artificial intelligence tools can produce child abuse images under a new UK law.The announcement was made as a safety watchdog revealed that reports of AI-generated child sexual abuse material [CSAM] have more than doubled in the past year from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025.Under the change, the government will give designated AI companies and child safety organisations permission to examine AI models – the underlying technology for chatbots such as ChatGPT and image generators such as Google’s Veo 3 – and ensure they have safeguards to prevent them from creating images of child sexual abuse.Kanishka Narayan, the minister for AI and online safety, said the move was “ultimately about stopping abuse before it happens”, adding: “Experts, under strict conditions, can now spot the risk in AI models early.”The changes have been introduced because it is illegal to create and possess CSAM, meaning that AI developers and others cannot create such images as part of a testing regime
Matthew McConaughey and Michael Caine sign voice deal with AI company
Oscar-winning actors Matthew McConaughey and Michael Caine have both signed a deal with the AI audio company ElevenLabs.The New York-based company can now create AI-generated versions of their voices as part of a bid to solve a “key ethical challenge” in the artificial intelligence industry’s alliance with Hollywood.McConaughey, who has also invested in the company and collaborated with it since 2022, will now allow ElevenLabs to translate his newsletter, Lyrics of Livin’, into a Spanish-language audio version using his voice.In a statement, the Dallas Buyers Club actor said he was “impressed” by ElevenLabs and wanted the partnership to help him “reach and connect with even more people”.ElevenLabs is also launching the Iconic Voices Marketplace, which will allow brands to partner with the company and use officially licensed celebrity voices for AI-generated usage
Haskell warns club rugby is heading off a cliff ‘like Thelma and Louise’ as £34m losses revealed
James Haskell, the former England international, has likened English rugby to “Thelma and Louise heading off a cliff” after an independent report found that Prem clubs made a combined loss of £34m last season.The report by a leading UK corporate recovery and insolvency firm, Leonard Curtis, suggests the game should consider adopting a franchise model, which it says would help Prem clubs to save between £1.1m and 1.9m a year.Its recommendation comes after its forensic financial audit of the English game found that six of the 10 Prem clubs were still balance-sheet insolvent – albeit one fewer than a year ago – and had net debts of £342
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