US President Donald Trump reiterated his threat to sue the BBC for one billion dollars over the editing of his January 6, 2021 speech in a Panorama documentary.
Speaking on Fox News, Trump said: "I think I have an obligation to do it, you can't allow people to do that."
The threat prompted British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to call for the BBC to "get their house in order" while affirming his belief in a "strong and independent BBC."
BBC Controversy
The controversy centres on a Panorama episode that aired in October 2024, which critics claim misleadingly edited Trump's speech to suggest he explicitly incited the Capitol attacks.
Trump told Fox News: "[...] They actually changed my January 6 speech, which was a beautiful speech, which was a very calming speech, and they made it sound radical."
The BBC's director-general Tim Davie and news chief Deborah Turness resigned on Sunday amid the fallout.
Political Fallout
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey accused Trump of "trying to destroy our BBC" and urged Starmer to "tell President Trump to drop his demand for a billion-dollar settlement".
Starmer responded at Prime Minister's Questions: "In an age of disinformation, the argument for impartial British news service is stronger than ever, and where mistakes are made, they do need to get their house in order, and the BBC must uphold the highest standards to be accountable and correct errors quickly."
Trump's counsel Alejandro Brito sent a legal letter demanding the BBC retract "false, defamatory, disparaging and inflammatory statements" by Friday, November 14. If the BBC "does not comply", Trump will pursue legal action for "no less than 1,000,000,000 dollars in damages".
The president told Fox News: "[...] They defrauded the public and they've admitted it. [...]"
Legal Reality
Defamation lawyer Daniel Taylor of Taylor Hampton law firm dismissed the one billion dollar figure as "fanciful." He told Express.co.uk that Trump's recent US settlements reached "millions," with one at 16 million dollars. "97% of these cases settle before trial," Taylor said, predicting a settlement rather than court proceedings.
Iain Wilson of Brett Wilson told Express.co.uk the BBC could challenge Florida court jurisdiction, arguing the BBC intended the programme largely for a UK audience.
The crisis triggered broader consequences. Reform UK withdrew from Laura Kuenssberg's BBC documentary "The Rise of Reform", citing lost trust after the Trump row.
Even Russia's London embassy weighed in, calling the BBC "a propaganda and disinformation tool".
On his News Agents podcast, former BBC North America editor Jon Sopel noted the irony: "How weird that we now find the Russian embassy in the same place as Donald Trump, as Nigel Farage [...]."
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
