Gibb says ‘board coup’ description is ‘most ridiculous charge’
MP: Sir Robbie, there’s been a lot of speculation in the media, including from BBC journalists, saying that what’s happened to the BBC over the last couple of weeks was a board-level orchestrated coup, if you like. Can you just address that for me now?
Gibb: “It’s up there as on the most ridiculous charges … it’s complete nonsense. It’s also deeply offensive to fellow board members who, as, Samir was saying, are people of great standing in different fields. The idea that somehow I had, I’m not even sure what the charges are, to be honest.
Thomson also says she certainly does nothing that “anything I saw in the last couple of weeks as being a coup for any kind of orchestrated board level”.
Updated at 14.11 EST
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Claims of “serious and systemic problems” in the corporation’s coverage of issues including Donald Trump, Gaza and trans issues, which led to the resignation of its director general, Tim Davie, have been disputed by a former adviser to the corporation.
Deborah Turness, the head of BBC News, also resigned after the allegations by Michael Prescott, a PR executive and former independent external adviser to the BBC’s editorial guidelines and standards committee (EGSC).
Prescott’s memo, sent to the BBC’s board and eventually leaked to the Daily Telegraph, contained a series of claims of bias in relation to issues including Trump and racial diversity.
He claimed the corporation’s leaders had ignored his concerns or not properly followed through on mistakes.
However, speaking to the Commons culture, media and sport committee, an adviser who served alongside Prescott as an external EGSC adviser said Prescott’s view did not provide the full picture and was his “personal account”.
Read more here:
ShareCommittee questioning has come to an end
The session has come to an end. We will bring you any major updates or reactions as they come in.
Shah has committed to staying in post. He says: “My job now is to steady the ship and put it on an even keel.
“I’m not somebody who walks away from a problem.
“I think my job is not to fix it and lead the search for a new director-general.”
ShareShah says role of director-general is “too big for one person”.
Shah says he is “inclined” to restructure the BBC’s executive after commenting that the role of director-general is “too big for one person”.
“In my view [the role of director-general] is too big for one person.”
He continued: “The BBC needs to be the beacon of impartial journalism, it absolutely does.
“We are living in a world over the next 10 years where people need to trust us and we need to have focused our journalism.
“I’m inclined to restructure the executive in the future, once we get a new director.
“The lens through which we examine potential candidates for the director-general includes the idea that there will be a deputy director-general, who would be focused on journalism.”
Shah also responds to the question about the broadcaster appealing to Reform UK voters.
He says the BBC news division must “reflect the point of view across the country”
“We do a lot of research on various demographics. We want to, for example, we need to make sure levels of trust are just as high among young people and this is normal business.
Referring to a geographical survey, he said: “One of the things about geography which I’m very exercised by is that support for the BBC declines as you go farther north. This is a very, very big issue for the BBC,” he said.
Gibb and Shah are asked about plans for the broadcaster to appeal Reform UK voters and whether there will be “something similar planned for Green voters”.
Gibb says there was concern about hostility towards the BBC from Reform UK voters, compared to Labour voters who, according to him, are largely supportive of the broadcaster.
Gibb says BBC exec are “massively alert”, adding: “This issue is something that’s very close to my heart, [the] issue about allocation of airtime to different political parties”
Shah has backed Gibb again, calling him “interested in impartiality and accuracy” after being asked whether he is “overly politically biased”.
ShareGibb says he has no intention of resigning
Gibb says he has no intention of resigning after being asked whether he would be stepping down.
“There’s been lots of stories that are just completely untrue about me in relation to influencing the day to day output,” he said.
“I don’t see I’ve done anything wrong. I’m a passionate defender of the BBC. I’m being a passionate defender of its values.”
Updated at 14.09 EST
Gibb is asked whether is was “sorry that Deborah [Turness] resigned”.
In response, he said: “I was disappointed that that we ended up in this, in the situation that she ended up resigning.”
Shah is asked whether there is “a problem with leaks in the BBC at the moment” after the internal dossier that sparked the recent troubles for the broadcaster was leaked to the Telegraph.
Shah says he has “initiated a leak inquiry”, adding: “We are a journalistic operation, and it doesn’t surprise me that we leak.”
Updated at 14.10 EST
Gibb says he has ‘impartiality through my bones’
Gibb said he has become “weaponised” before telling the committee that he is “hugely impartial”.
He said: “I think there couldn’t be a bigger mismatch between the way I’m presented in some quarters, in relation to my attitude.
“I think I’ve become weaponised in terms of how I’m perceived.
“Everyone who knows me knows that I’m hugely impartial. I have friends across the political divide.
“You know, I have impartiality through my bones.”
Updated at 13.12 EST