The head of the UK Parliament’s Culture, Media and Sport Committee has raised doubts over whether the BBC board is in “safe hands” under its chair Samir Shah, calling his testimony to MPs “wishy-washy” amid an escalating crisis at the broadcaster.
Shah appeared before the committee on Monday as the BBC grapples with the resignations of its director general and head of news, following controversy over its handling of impartiality complaints.
Speaking to BBC’s World Tonight after the hearing, committee chair Dame Caroline Dinenage said she was worried about a lack of “grip at the heart of BBC governance,” noting that Shah did not offer clear answers on how the board would act more decisively.
Shah insisted he would not quit, telling MPs he intended to “steady the ship” and “fix it.” He confirmed that the search for a new director general had begun and said he supported creating a deputy DG role, arguing the top job had become “too big for one person.”
The crisis stems from a leaked memo written by former external editorial adviser Michael Prescott, which criticised how a speech by US President Donald Trump was edited for the Panorama programme. The BBC later apologised, saying the edit had given the “mistaken impression” Trump had urged violence, but Shah admitted the apology took too long because of internal disagreements.
Dame Caroline said MPs “weren’t wildly enthused” by Shah’s assurances. “Everything was very wishy-washy… we didn’t get the sense the board has proper grip,” she said, adding that stronger answers would be required in the coming months.
Ofcom chief Dame Melanie Dawes also told BBC Breakfast on Tuesday that the corporation faced “serious issues with editorial decision making,” saying the board had “a lot to do” to put things right.
Prescott, who also appeared before MPs, warned that problems were “getting worse” and said he feared the board was not taking concerns seriously enough, although he did not believe the BBC was “institutionally biased.”
Other senior figures, including board member Sir Robbie Gibb, also defended themselves before the committee. Gibb dismissed claims he orchestrated a politically motivated coup as “complete nonsense.”
In a message to BBC staff on Monday, Shah said that appointing a new director general would be his “top priority,” and confirmed a review was underway into how the Editorial Guidelines and Standards Committee operates to ensure it has proper authority and representation.
Both outgoing DG Tim Davie and head of news Deborah Turness have rejected allegations of systemic bias within the BBC.
Source: BBC