Gaza: BBC Coverage

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay Excerpts

Tuesday 4th March 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Con)]

My Lords, this is an incredibly serious matter. Public money may have ended up in the hands of supporters of a proscribed terrorist organisation. With the police and Ofcom both saying that they are willing to investigate this matter, and reports today that other broadcasters have used the same boy without making clear his parentage, would the Minister agree that a properly independent inquiry is needed and that the signatories to a letter urging the reinstatement of this contested programme—some of whom have been very well remunerated by the licence fee payer in the past—should not be heeded?

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Baroness Twycross) (Lab)]

My Lords, it is right that the BBC is conducting a thorough investigation into what happened and who knew what, when. I will not prejudge the outcome of the BBC’s investigation. As the noble Lord is aware, the BBC is operationally and editorially independent of government, but we expect it to continue to follow robust procedures to protect taxpayers’ money and uphold the high standards the public and this Government rightly expect. The noble Lord will be aware of the letter that Ofcom sent the BBC, and the Secretary of State spoke to both the chair and the director-general of the BBC last week. She expects a clear response from them on a number of points.