Allegations ‘shocking and concerning’ – PM
Dan Sabbagh
The prime minister, Rishi Sunak, said he was alarmed by reports that a BBC presenter may have paid thousands for explicit pictures from a young person – but said that ministers had been reassured by the corporation that its investigation into the case would be quick.
“They were shocking and concerning allegations,” the prime minister said on his way to the Nato summit. “The culture secretary spoke to the director general on Sunday and is reassured the process they are taking is rigorous and will be swift. We’ve had those reassurances and that’s the right thing to do.”
It was important for those investigating the situation, such as the BBC and the police, to be allowed to reach a conclusion, he said.
The prime minister also added he had not been told by his aides the identity of the presenter, who has been widely named online.
Key events
The cabinet minister Mel Stride also made comments this morning about the use of parliamentary privilege.
The work and pensions secretary said he would not use parliamentary privilege to identify the BBC presenter at the centre of a scandal in an apparent move to discourage fellow MPs from taking that decision.
Asked on Sky News if he would use parliamentary privilege – in effect a form of legal immunity that grants MPs protection in the House of Commons – to name the presenter involved, as some of his colleagues have suggested they might, Stride said he would not. He said:
I can only speak for myself. I would personally certainly not be doing that.
That is a privilege that should be used very sparingly and with great thought.
Read more here:
A bit more from Sunak in Lithuania. The PM declined to comment on reports some MPs could be considering naming the presenter at the heart of the scandal under the protection of parliamentary privilege. He told reporters:
We have an existing set of laws that govern free speech and privacy.
I think it’s important that the BBC conducts this investigation quickly and rigorously given the concerning and serious nature of the allegations.
He said the government “is confident the BBC is investigating this both rigorously and rapidly” and that this is “the right course of action”.
Jim Waterson
Entirely coincidentally, today is the release of the BBC’s annual report, where the corporation sets out its performance over the last year and publishes enormous amounts of data on its finances, future plans, and how it is performing. It’s also one of the only occasions where the BBC’s top executives – including director general Tim Davie – subject themselves to questions from the media.
The release of the report was planned long before the BBC was thrown into crisis by anonymous allegations against a senior presenter, which has led to his suspension.
Davie and the interim chair, Dame Elan Closs Stephens, who is making her first public appearance in the role, are expected to answer questions and provide an update on the investigation into the presenter. We will be able to report what they said at midday.
Allegations ‘shocking and concerning’ – PM
Dan Sabbagh
The prime minister, Rishi Sunak, said he was alarmed by reports that a BBC presenter may have paid thousands for explicit pictures from a young person – but said that ministers had been reassured by the corporation that its investigation into the case would be quick.
“They were shocking and concerning allegations,” the prime minister said on his way to the Nato summit. “The culture secretary spoke to the director general on Sunday and is reassured the process they are taking is rigorous and will be swift. We’ve had those reassurances and that’s the right thing to do.”
It was important for those investigating the situation, such as the BBC and the police, to be allowed to reach a conclusion, he said.
The prime minister also added he had not been told by his aides the identity of the presenter, who has been widely named online.
The work and pensions secretary, Mel Stride, was on duty as the face for the government in media rounds and was asked questions about the scandal at the BBC.
The cabinet minister urged people to “resist … the urge to opine on” the allegations that a BBC presenter paid a teenager for sexually explicit images, and about how the allegations are being dealt with.
He told Sky News:
Once it’s all over and concluded, I think that is most certainly the time to be looking at whether things were done correctly or not.
But at the moment, it seems to me this is a highly fluid, unknown situation and we should give the BBC a bit of space.
It’s really important that all of us resist, to the extent that we can, the urge to opine on what was right, or what was outrageous or wrong, until we know all the facts.
Asked about the BBC’s handling of the situation, he said:
We don’t know enough of the facts to be able to start pointing too many fingers yet at the process.
I think we have to wait till this has played out as quickly and effectively as possible, and that’s what the secretary of state (for digital, culture, media and sport) has been pushing for. And then we can start to make those judgments.
Morning summary
Welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of developments in the unfolding scandal at the BBC involving an unnamed presenter who has been accused of paying tens of thousands of pounds for explicit images from a young person.
The broadcaster has suspended a male member of staff after the Sun newspaper reported claims from the parents of a young person that the presenter had paid around £35,000 over three years for explicit images.
The scandal took another twist on Monday night after a lawyer representing the young person at the centre of the controversy said nothing inappropriate or unlawful happened, calling the reporting “rubbish”.
The Met police have said at this time there would be no criminal investigation into the allegations.
However, the parents of the young person involved, who is said to be 20 now, stand by the account they gave to the Sun.
Today will be a busy day for the BBC, a day of enormous pressure, as the corporation publishes its annual report in the midst of the controversy.
The BBC’s director general, Tim Davie, is expected to talk to the media, which was previously scheduled due to the release of the report, and is likely to bombarded with questions over the corporation’s handling of the controversy.
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