British politicians stand up for BBC amid Trump lawsuit
British members of Parliament have voiced strong support for the BBC in response to President Donald Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the broadcaster. the lawsuit alleges that the BBC deceptively edited parts of Trump’s January 6, 2021 speech, combining two separate statements delivered nearly an hour apart into one quote for a documentary released just before the 2024 election. While the BBC admitted to the editing and apologized, Trump claims it violated Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.
MPs have publicly defended the BBC, urging U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer to take a stand against what they see as an attempt by Trump to interfere in British democracy and undermine the national broadcaster. Some politicians acknowledge the BBC’s mistake and the apology but oppose the lawsuit, emphasizing the need to protect the BBC and license fee payers from financial harm.
The controversy led to the resignation of BBC executives,and the disputed documentary will not be broadcast. The article also notes prior lawsuits Trump filed against other American news outlets, such as ABC News and CBS, which resulted in multimillion-dollar settlements.
British politicians stand up for BBC amid Trump lawsuit
British members of Parliament condemned President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the BBC.
This lawsuit centers on the network’s editing of Trump’s speech from Jan. 6, 2021. The president announced that he will sue the BBC for $10 billion, alleging one count of violating Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. The BBC acknowledged editing two parts of Trump’s speech that were given nearly an hour apart into one quote for a documentary it released a week before the 2024 election.
Members of Parliament publicly defended the BBC.
“Trump is suing the BBC. Good luck to him, I say,” MP Rupert Lowe, a former Conservative turned independent, said on X.
Others called for U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer to intervene on behalf of the BBC.
“Keir Starmer needs to stand up for the BBC against Trump’s outrageous $5bn lawsuit and protect licence fee payers from being hit in the pocket,” MP Ed Davey, a Liberal Democrat, wrote on X on Tuesday, only citing one of Trump’s counts in the lawsuit.
“Trump wants to interfere in our democracy and undermine our national broadcaster. We cannot let him,” he added.
“The Trump administration has clearly shown they wish to interfere in our democracy and undermine our national broadcaster,” the Liberal Democrats party’s X account wrote on Tuesday. “The Prime Minister must make clear: this is unacceptable.”
Nigel Huddleston, former co-chairman of the Conservative Party and current shadow secretary of state for culture, media, and sport, agreed, saying “the BBC strayed away from its impartiality obligations and its own editorial guidelines,” but opposed the lawsuit.
“No matter what your personal view of President Trump may be, most reasonable people recognise he was wronged and deserved an apology,” Huddleston wrote on X on Tuesday. “The BBC rightly apologised. But the apology and explanation provided to President Trump for doctoring a video of his speech has clearly not been sufficient to avoid a lawsuit.”
“For the sake of the licence fee payer, the BBC and government need to do more,” he added.
The BBC documentary featuring the edited speech will not be broadcast on the network, according to a statement the BBC made when it apologized in November. Additionally, BBC Director General Tim Davie and CEO Deborah Turness resigned as a result of the controversy.
“The licence fee payer should not suffer because of the mistakes made by a bunch of left-wing journalists who failed to uphold the BBC’s standards,” Huddleston added.
Last month, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said, “The BBC has been institutionally biased for decades,” when it was floated that Trump would sue the BBC.
Other news outlets have recently settled lawsuits with Trump. ABC News settled a lawsuit with Trump regarding George Stephanopoulos’s comment that Trump was “liable for rape.” The network paid the president $15 million. In addition to the settlement, ABC News stated regret at the bottom of an online article that contained the clip of Stephanopoulos’s comment.
TRUMP SUES BBC FOR $10 BILLION OVER JAN. 6 SPEECH EDIT
CBS News’s parent company, Paramount Global, paid Trump $16 million to settle another lawsuit over edits made to a 60 Minutes interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris during her presidential campaign.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Trump’s outside counsel, Alejandro Brito, Edward Paltzik, and Daniel Epstein, for comment.
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