Early evening summary
Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, has told MPs that she does not have the power to remove the former Tory spin doctor Robbie Gibb from the BBC’s board. (See 5.33pm.) She was speaking during a Commons statement that saw several opposition MPs criticise Gibb for the role he has played as a board member. In a reference to Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch, Nandy also criticised MPs who have described the BBC as institutionally biased. (See 5.24pm.) Many MPs criticised the BBC for the way it edited a clip of Donald Trump’s 6 January 2021 speech. But generally MPs did not comment on his threat to sue the BBC for $1bn.
Tim Davie has hit out at the “weaponisation” of criticisms of the BBC, as he addressed staff after his shock resignation as its director general.
Pat McFadden, the work and pensions secretary, has told MPs that he is going to review the government’s decision not to pay compensation to the Waspi women in the light of new evidence that has come to light. But that did not mean compensation definitely would be paid, he said. (See 5pm.)
For a full list of all the stories covered on the blog today, do scroll through the list of key event headlines near the top of the blog.
Manuela Perteghella (Lib Dem) did not agree with Julian Lewis. (See 6.19am.) She said there were serious concerns about Robbie Gibb. If Nandy could not get rid of him, what could she do to restore trust in the BBC?
Nandy said she would like to push back against the idea that the BBC is not trusted. It is the most trusted news organisation in the UK, she says.
