Samir Shah, Robbie Gibb and Michael Prescott to face BBC questions from MPs

BBC chairman Samir Shah, board member Sir Robbie Gibb and former editorial adviser Michael Prescott are to face questions from MPs on the Culture, Media And Sport Committee.

They will be quizzed about the BBC’s editorial standards guidelines and how the corporation complies during the evidence sessions, which will begin at 3.30pm on Monday.

The committee wrote to the BBC to ask about action being taken after a report by Mr Prescott raised concerns that a Panorama episode included selective editing of a speech made by President Donald Trump before the attack on the US Capitol in 2021.

BBC director-general Tim Davie and news chief Deborah Turness resigned in the fallout from the report becoming public, while Mr Shah apologised on behalf of the BBC over an “error of judgment” and accepted that the editing of the 2024 documentary gave “the impression of a direct call for violent action”.

Last week, BBC board member Shumeet Banerji also announced he would be leaving his role.

Mr Trump threatened the BBC with a billion-dollar lawsuit after the report was made public, while US regulator the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) launched an investigation.

In response to Mr Trump’s threat, a BBC spokesperson said: “We have had no further contact from President Trump’s lawyers at this point. Our position remains the same.”

Sir Robbie, a former senior Conservative Party adviser, has faced calls for his removal from the BBC board, with creative industries union Bectu saying his position was “untenable”.

It added that he was perceived by corporation staff as being “sympathetic to, or actively part of, a campaign to undermine the BBC and influence its political impartiality”.

Earlier this month, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey also called on Sir Keir Starmer to sack Sir Robbie, branding him a “Conservative crony” in Commons, but the Prime Minister declined to comment on the “the individual runnings of the BBC”.

Sir Robbie, who served as director of communications for Theresa May, has not spoken about the criticism of his board role.

The committee of MPs will also hear from former BBC editorial standards adviser Caroline Daniel and non-executive director Caroline Thomson.