Nandy rules out taking action to remove Robbie Gibb from BBC board – as it happened
Sarah Owen, the Labour MP, says the BBC did make an editing mistake in its Panorama documentary.But, she says, the only people who are enjoying this are those politicians who do not want a free press.She asks if Nandy will review the influence of Robbie Gibb, the former Tory spin doctor, on the BBC board.Nandy says there is a strict legal threshold for the dismissal of a board member.So she cannot do what Owen is proposing, she says.
UPDATE: Nandy said:In relation to the board, [Owen] will be aware that the charter sets a strict legal threshold that must be met before dismissal of a board member, and so I am unable to pursue the course of action that she suggests.Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, has told MPs that she does not have the power to remove the former Tory spin doctor Robbie Gibb from the BBC’s board.(See 5.33pm.) She was speaking during a Commons statement that saw several opposition MPs criticise Gibb for the role he has played as a board member.
In a reference to Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch, Nandy also criticised MPs who have described the BBC as institutionally biased.(See 5.24pm.) Many MPs criticised the BBC for the way it edited a clip of Donald Trump’s 6 January 2021 speech.But generally MPs did not comment on his threat to sue the BBC for $1bn.
Tim Davie has hit out at the “weaponisation” of criticisms of the BBC, as he addressed staff after his shock resignation as its director general.Pat McFadden, the work and pensions secretary, has told MPs that he is going to review the government’s decision not to pay compensation to the Waspi women in the light of new evidence that has come to light.But that did not mean compensation definitely would be paid, he said.(See 5pm.)For a full list of all the stories covered on the blog today, do scroll through the list of key event headlines near the top of the blog.
Manuela Perteghella (Lib Dem) did not agree with Julian Lewis.(See 6.19am.) She said there were serious concerns about Robbie Gibb.If Nandy could not get rid of him, what could she do to restore trust in the BBC?Nandy said she would like to push back against the idea that the BBC is not trusted.
It is the most trusted news organisation in the UK, she says,Julian Lewis (Con) said MPs should not be criticising Robbie Gibb, when he had nothing to do with the editing error that had led to Donald Trump to sue the BBC for $1bn,He cited a Guardian report today as an example of why people were focusing on the wrong issue,The crisis has nothing to do with Robbie Gibb,It has something to do with a mindset that, on the front page of today’s Guardian, has the whole thing about Robbie Gibb, and relegates the fact that $1bn lawsuit may be taken out by Donald Trump against the BBC to a tiny paragraph at the end of the article on page two.
If you want to know what’s wrong with some bits of the BBC, read the Guardian today.“If you want to know what’s wrong with the BBC, read the Guardian” – that would make a great marketing slogan for us.But Lewis did not mean it as a compliment.In the Commons Siân Berry, the Green MP, also joined those calling for Robbie Gibb to sacked from the BBC board.Roger Gale (Con), a former radio and TV producer, said the BBC Panorama programme was a “travesty” and “deeply dishonest”.
He said an edit should never change the meaning of what was said,But he said, unlike some of his colleagues, he believed the “overwhelming majority” worked hard to deliver the truth,Rebecca Paul (Con) condemned the BBC for its reporting of trans issues,She said the BBC had not properly covered the “issues such as the use of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones in children, the placing of violent men in women’s prisons, and the loss of women’s medals in sport topological males”,And she said the BBC had “attributed the crimes of violent men to women” (ie, trans women).
Nandy said it was not the job of politicians to tell broadcasters what they could and could not say.Pamela Nash (Lab) told the Commons that her biggest complaint about the BBC was the fact that it has allowed Nigel Farage to appear on Question Times “more times than he has visited his own constituency”.But she praised it for making every effort to maintain balance.Nandy agreed, saying the BBC was “the most trusted news source of news in this country”.In the Commons the SNP Pete Wishart also called for Robbie Gibb to be sacked from the BBC’s board.
Back in the Commons, Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, said she has been given a full explanation by the BBC as to why it took so long for them to apologise for the editing of the Trump speech.She said she expected BBC leaders to explain this for themselves when they give evidence to the Commons culture committee.Frances Mao is a Guardian reporter.Another question posed to Samir Shah, the BBC chair, and Tim Davie, the outgoing director general, during the all-staff call this morning was whether the BBC board executives were adhering to the corporation’s six core BBC Values, as listed in its charter and mission statement.Every BBC employee is required to uphold these values which include Trust (being independent, impartial and truthful), being Accountable (and delivering work of the highest quality) and Respect (being kind and championing inclusivity).
Shah took the question and said that, of course board members upheld the values.He went on to twice describe the question as “disrespectful of the people on the board of the BBC”.He repeated lines he said on Monday when asked about political interference or pressure on the board.“It’s important that people have a diversity of opinion on the board,” he said.The Guardian’s Media editor Michael Savage has been reporting on the attacks on the BBC, made by board members from the same political perspective.
Sources have said that Robbie Gibb, a former Tory spin doctor who helped found GB News, a rightwing competitor to the BBC, interfered in stories which he saw a too left-leaning.
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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