BBC to Expand Standards Panel and Create Deputy Director Role

Published: 24 November 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online.

The BBC is set to overhaul its editorial oversight processes and create a new deputy director general role following a row over political bias. The reforms aim to reduce the influence of a Conservative board member accused of attempting to sway the broadcaster’s impartiality. Tim Davie and Deborah Turness, head of BBC News, resigned amid the controversy after board-level disagreements over claims of liberal bias in a memo by Michael Prescott, a former independent adviser to the corporation’s Editorial Guidelines and Standards Committee (EGSC).

Prescott, who left the role earlier this year, alleged bias in coverage on issues such as Donald Trump, Gaza, and trans rights, though the BBC has only acknowledged an editing error in a Panorama episode involving Trump. Key figures in the dispute, including Prescott, Robbie Gibb, the Conservative-appointed board member, and chair Samir Shah, are scheduled to appear before MPs on Monday as part of a culture, media, and sport committee inquiry into the memo and the handling of the crisis.

Pressure on the BBC board intensified following the resignation of board member Shumeet Banerji, who cited governance concerns and said he had not been consulted about events leading to Davie and Turness’ departures. Gibb, formerly Theresa May’s communications chief and a Conservative loyalist, has been criticised for consistently raising complaints about the BBC’s output from a right-wing perspective. He also participated in appointing Prescott to the EGSC advisory role.

The EGSC’s last meetings highlighted concerns about board influence, as Gibb was one of only four full committee members alongside Davie, Turness, and Shah. The BBC now plans to expand EGSC membership to ensure no single voice dominates discussions. Shah has also indicated that the workload for the next director general is so substantial that a deputy position is necessary.

Political responses have been swift. Anna Sabine, Liberal Democrats culture, media, and sport spokesperson, said the controversy reflects years of Conservative influence on the BBC. She called for Gibb’s removal and an end to political appointments on the broadcaster’s board to safeguard impartiality. Supporters of Gibb argue he has consistently defended the BBC and the licence fee, and acted out of genuine concern over coverage, with the corporation noting he was just one voice among many.

Prescott has stated his views carry no political agenda, while Shah dismissed allegations of a rightwing campaign to influence coverage as exaggerated. The Panorama programme involving Trump, which Prescott cited as a key issue, remains under dispute, with the US president threatening legal action despite the BBC issuing an apology for an editorial “error of judgment.”

Bectu, the largest union at the BBC, has criticised Gibb’s presence on the board, claiming staff lack confidence in the corporation’s leadership. It argues that having a board member perceived as sympathetic to attempts to influence political impartiality undermines public trust in the broadcaster. The planned reforms, including the EGSC expansion and deputy director general role, aim to strengthen editorial oversight and restore confidence in the BBC’s governance.