Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will have urgent discussions with the Director General of the BBC on recent reports that a journalist with links to Hamas was used by the BBC to report on events in Gaza.

Under its Royal Charter, the BBC has a duty to provide accurate and impartial news and information. As the BBC is independent the Government does not intervene in the BBC’s day-to-day operational or editorial decisions.

The Secretary of State meets regularly with the BBC to discuss a range of topics and when she met with the BBC Director General in February, they discussed the importance of the BBC in meeting its duty to provide accurate and impartial news and information. In taking forward that duty, the Government believes that it is absolutely fundamental that stories about the events in Gaza are told and heard, but are done so with the utmost care, transparency and sensitivity. It is essential that the BBC in particular maintains the highest standards of reporting.

In addition, it is for Ofcom, the independent regulator, to ensure the BBC is fulfilling its obligations to audiences as outlined in the Charter.