BBC union demands Sir Robbie Gibb's removal over scandal fallout

The BBC has said it will not air the Panorama episode Trump: A Second Chance? again (James Manning/PA) James Manning

Britain's biggest union at the BBC has demanded the removal of board member Sir Robbie Gibb, calling his position "untenable" amid the fallout from the Panorama scandal. Bectu, the creative industries union, sent a letter to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy and BBC board chairman Samir Shah stating: «We simply do not see how staff can have faith in the BBC's leadership while a crucial position on the board is filled by someone perceived by many staff and external commentators as sympathetic to, or actively part of, a campaign to undermine the BBC and influence its political impartiality.»

The demand follows the resignations of BBC boss Tim Davie and news chief Deborah Turness after the broadcaster apologized for controversially editing a speech by US President Donald Trump in a 2024 Panorama episode. The edit made it appear Trump directly called for violent action during his January 6 2021 speech, when he actually said: «We're going to walk down to the Capitol… and I'll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell.» Trump's lawyers threatened to sue for one billion dollars in damages, which the BBC rejected.

Political Appointments Under Scrutiny

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said on BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the upcoming charter review will examine political appointments to the BBC board. «There is a real concern, which I share, that political appointments to the board of the BBC damaged confidence and trust in the BBC's impartiality,» Nandy said. «That's something that we will be looking at as part of the charter review, which sets the terms for the BBC for the next decade, and which this government is about to kick off.»

Sir Robbie Gibb, appointed to the BBC board in 2021, previously served as director of communications for former Prime Minister Theresa May. Fresh allegations emerged Friday that a June 2022 Newsnight episode featured a similar controversial edit of Trump's speech, more than two years before the Panorama incident. The BBC said it is looking into the matter.

Leadership Vacuum Concerns

Bectu expressed concern about entering the charter review process without permanent leadership. In their letter, the union said staff are «unsurprisingly anxious about entering this process with a vacuum of leadership and without a new director-general in place» and «concerned about the BBC's ability to resist partisan political pressure and uphold the integrity of its journalism.» More than 500 complaints have been received since the Panorama controversy erupted. Sir Robbie Gibb declined to comment.

Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).