Lisa Nandy leaving a Cabinet Meeting at Downing Street (Image: Getty)
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has told the BBC’s director-general of her “deep concern” about a corporation documentary about Gaza.
The public broadcaster removed a film from iPlayer because it failed to make clear the father of its child narrator was a Hamas deputy minister.
On Tuesday, Ms Nandy met the ’s director-general Tim Davie to discuss the issue.
She said: “It is essential that the maintains the highest standards of reporting and governance that the public rightly expects. In my discussion with the director-general, I expressed my deep concern about the issues around their recent documentary on Gaza and I pressed for answers on the checks and due diligence that the carried out.
“It is paramount that the investigation the is conducting sheds light on what happened and who knew what when. I expect to be kept informed of the outcome of their investigation.”
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has threatened to withdraw support for the licence fee over the documentary Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone.
Accusing the broadcaster of bias, she demanded a full investigation into the BBC2 programme, questioning whether it may have led to cash being given to Hamas.
Ms Nandy also raised the case of Tim Westwood after the board apologised over “missed opportunities” to tackle “bullying and misogynistic behaviour” by the DJ.
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An independent report into what the knew about Westwood’s conduct was published on Tuesday, highlighting a series of incidents and allegations it said amount to a “considerable body of evidence” that it failed to investigate properly.
The report added that the had “inadequate record keeping and communication with people who raised complaints or concerns”, and “an insufficiently rigorous attempt to address the substance of concerns raised”.
The had previously acknowledged six complaints about bullying and sexual misconduct. In a video that appeared on social media last year, the DJ said: “It’s all false allegations.”
Ms Nandy said: “The allegations against Tim Westwood are very serious. It is essential that staff and the wider public can have confidence in the as our national broadcaster.
“There have been far too many instances of appalling behaviour in the media industry and there has been a culture of silence around inappropriate behaviour for too long. This cannot continue.
“In my discussion with the director-general, I was clear that the board and executive must grip the issue of workplace culture and respond at pace to the independent review they have commissioned as soon as it has concluded.”
Westwood, 67, was a presenter on Radio 1 and Radio 1Xtra between 1994 and 2013. He hosted the UK’s first nationally broadcast hip-hop show.
In July 2022, the revealed it had received six complaints about alleged bullying or sexual misconduct by Westwood, one of which had previously been referred to police.
In August, the Metropolitan Police confirmed it was investigating a man over allegations of non-recent sexual offences in London in 1982, 1985, 2010 and 2016.
A Met spokesman said on Monday: “A full file of evidence remains with the CPS for their consideration. Detectives from the Met continue to make enquiries, with support from prosecutors.”