Contributions
798 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDPoints of OrderFurther to that point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. I would like to make it clear that, as I have consistently said to the House, a very high legal threshold must be met in…11 Nov 2025HANSARDBBC LeadershipThe challenges the right hon. Gentleman describes do not specifically relate just to the BBC. I have voiced concerns, as have many Conservative Culture Secretaries previously,…11 Nov 2025HANSARDBBC LeadershipMy hon. Friend will have heard the comments that I made earlier in response to my hon. Friend the Member for Peterborough (Andrew Pakes). I commend those many BBC staff,…11 Nov 2025HANSARDBBC LeadershipI do agree with my hon. Friend. As well as the very important issues around standards, I would add trust, accountability and independence from Government—any Government, including…11 Nov 2025HANSARDBBC LeadershipFirst, I welcome the action that the hon. Lady’s Select Committee is taking, which she has announced to the House. To maintain confidence in the BBC, it is absolutely essential…11 Nov 2025HANSARDBBC LeadershipMy hon. Friend mentions the editorial guidance and standards committee, which has been the source of much debate and scrutiny over recent days. I have discussed this directly with…11 Nov 2025HANSARDBBC LeadershipI agree with my hon. Friend first on the point he makes about the seriousness of some of the failings and the need to uphold the highest standards. I also agree about the…11 Nov 2025HANSARDBBC LeadershipI am happy to give my hon. Friend that assurance. We are looking both at the charter process and at how we can help to support and defend local news through the BBC’s work. She…11 Nov 2025HANSARDBBC LeadershipI have reflected concern about the time it takes to respond to the BBC leadership, not just in relation to this episode, but previously. It really does undermine trust and…11 Nov 2025HANSARDBBC LeadershipI agree with my hon. Friend and I can assure him that that is very much central to the charter review process that we are about to begin. He is right to say that fearless and…11 Nov 2025HANSARDBBC LeadershipThe hon. Lady asks if we will stand up for the BBC, and she will have heard my words to the House today. The BBC is one of the most important institutions in the country, and it…11 Nov 2025HANSARDBBC LeadershipAs somebody who has shared my frustrations at some of the failures at the BBC over the last 16 months, and at the response at times, I can reassure the hon. Gentleman that…11 Nov 2025HANSARDBBC LeadershipMy hon. Friend is absolutely right to raise the point about trust. The BBC is one of the most trusted institutions not just in our country but in the world. We seek to ensure that…11 Nov 2025HANSARDBBC LeadershipAs I said earlier, it is the legitimate, right and proper role of Members of this House to raise serious concerns about the decisions that have been made at the BBC over recent…11 Nov 2025HANSARDBBC LeadershipI gently say to the hon. Lady that she said she wants the BBC to return to its core mission, but that is deeply contested, as we can hear in the House. I do not believe that it is…11 Nov 2025HANSARDBBC LeadershipEveryone in this House is right to take with the utmost seriousness the failings that the BBC has accepted have happened over the course of this year, but I would gently push back…11 Nov 2025HANSARDBBC LeadershipI thank my hon. Friend for his words and Members across the House for the tone of this debate. I know that all Members feel strongly about the failings of the BBC editorial…11 Nov 2025HANSARDBBC LeadershipI thank my hon. Friend for her question. She will be aware that the charter sets a strict legal threshold that must be met before dismissal of a board member, so I am unable to…11 Nov 2025HANSARDBBC LeadershipI can, and I will. I share the right hon. Gentleman’s view that the story of the whole nation has to be told, and the best way to ensure that it is told is to ensure that all of…11 Nov 2025HANSARDBBC LeadershipI agree with my hon. Friend, and it is not lost on anyone in this House that, at a time when other countries who do not necessarily have the UK’s best interests at heart are…11 Nov 2025