Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has defended the BBC as a crisis initiated by an edit of a Donald Trump speech engulfs the corporation.

The organisation apologised on Monday after two of its top figures, including director-general Tim Davie, resigned amid concerns about impartiality – notably the editing of a Panorama documentary from October 2024.

It aired the week before the US presidential election and showed an edited speech made by Mr Trump before the 2021 Capitol riot, in which he appeared to tell supporters he was going to walk there with them to “fight like hell”.

Ms Nandy has defended the BBC, saying “some in the House” have suggested the BBC is institutionally biased, but that she disagrees as the BBC is a “light on the hill for people here and across the world”.

“All of us in this House should value it, uphold it and fiercely defend it,” she added.

The culture secretary said that she has been in “regular contact” with BBC chair Samir Shah, ensuring that where its standards were not met, “firm, swift and transparent action follows”.

“I welcome the steps that have already been set out and I will keep the House updated as the BBC leadership grips these issues,” she added, saying she agreed with Mr Shah that the national broadcaster has a responsibility to “uphold the highest standards”.

Ms Nandy said a review of the BBC’s Royal Charter will begin “imminently” and a public consultation will be launched, with more details in the “coming weeks”.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump threatened to sue the BBC for $1bn, and a letter dated 9 November from Florida lawyer Alejandro Brito outlines three demands upon the organisation to avoid being sued, with a deadline of 10pm UK time on Friday to respond.

He demanded that the BBC issue a “full and fair retraction” of the documentary, apologise immediately, and “appropriately compensate” Mr Trump.

Shadow culture secretary Nigel Huddleston has demanded an apology from the BBC to Trump and to the British public.

He told the House of Commons on Tuesday that the corporation is “in a sorry mess… of its own making” and “needs saving from itself”.

Mr Huddleston stressed that his party wants the BBC to succeed and praises its successes, but emphasised that this “requires institutional change and far more than a few moves at the top”.

The problems of the corporation relate to its failure to honour its charter obligation to impartiality, he said.

In an all-staff call on Tuesday morning, the outgoing BBC director-general Mr Davie said the corporation had “made some mistakes that have cost us” but added he was “proud” and that the organisation needed to “fight” for its journalism.

He also admitted: “I think we did make a mistake, and there was an editorial breach, and I think some responsibility had to be taken.”

Mr Davie, who has worked for the BBC for 20 years and been in charge for the past five, is not stepping down immediately.

He said in his departure note to staff that he is “working through exact timings with the board to allow for an orderly transition to a successor over the coming months”.

There are several potential candidates who could replace him and take on the highest-profile role in British broadcasting, which effectively serves as both the corporation’s chief executive and its editor-in-chief across television, radio and online.

In a Q&A with Mr Davie after the all-staff call, staff were frustrated by having their questions vetted, Sky News arts and entertainment correspondent Katie Spencer reports.

Some of the questions were about the controversial appointment of Sir Robbie Gibb, the former Tory director of communications for prime minister Theresa May, to the BBC board.

But when these questions were getting through the vetting process, staff tried to ask questions in the reply boxes, which were public.

The anonymous comments included questions like “How can we claim to be unbiased if Gibb is on the board?” and “Why is Robbie Gibb still on the board?”.

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“I find Robbie Gibb’s continued presence at the BBC to be incredibly demoralising. It feels as if he is fighting against and undermining the work we’re trying to do,” another comment read.

The leaders of the Lib Dems and SNP have both called for Sir Robbie’s removal.

But Ms Nandy told the Commons that the government is “unable” to remove Sir Robbie, as “the charter sets a strict legal threshold that must be met before dismissal of a board member”.

A senior NHS manager, described by a judge as “devious, scheming and manipulative”, has been jailed for 28 years for raping and sexually assaulting girls he groomed on Snapchat.

Paul Lipscombe, 51, from Rothley in Leicestershire, admitted 34 offences against six girls – aged between 12 and 15 – between September 2023 and April 2024 after targeting them via the social media app.

Leicester Crown Court heard that police became aware of his offending after a 15-year-old girl, who was reported missing, told officers that she had been raped.

Prosecutor Frida Hussain KC told Judge Keith Raynor on Monday that Lipscombe was initially arrested on suspicion of kidnapping the missing girl when officers pulled over his car in Birstall, near Leicester, in April 2024.

Ms Hussain told the court the girl went missing from her home late at night and was picked up by Lipscombe nearby, before he took her to a hotel. Police later found the child at a rented address.

“He accused other people of serious crimes simply in order to mask his own crimes,” Ms Hussain added.

Follow-up searches at the hotel, his car and home uncovered evidence that the youngster had been sexually assaulted. Police recovered items including soft toys, restraints, vodka, his phone and another mobile which had been wiped.

Devious, scheming and manipulative

Passing sentence on Tuesday, Judge Raynor told Lipscombe he was “intelligent, confident, resourceful and well-organised” and the victims had been “truly vulnerable”.

“The evidence shows you to have been devious, scheming and manipulative. You were bold in your offending and you took very high risks. The sexual abuse of young girls was an obsession in life for you,” he said.

Leicester Crown Court heard that when Lipscombe initially contacted the girls, he told them he was in his late 20s or early 30s. Five of the six girls had met with him and been raped or sexually assaulted.

A significant number of indecent images of children were discovered on his devices and online storage accounts. He had also set up a website where people could buy illegal videos of child abuse created through AI technology.

The court was told Lipscombe had been targeting girls using several Snapchat accounts, including two fake names, Dom Woodmore and George.

In February, Paul Lipscombe pleaded guilty to 34 offences, including two counts of rape of a child under 13; 21 counts of sexual activity with a child; three counts of sexual assault of a child under 13; and causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

He also admitted six counts of making indecent photographs of children and distributing indecent photographs of children.

Lipscombe was sentenced on Tuesday to 28 years and one month, and to remain on licence for three years after his release. He has been placed on the sex offenders register for life.

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Could be other victims, say police

Detective Constable Lauren Speight, from the Child Abuse Investigation Unit (CAIU), said: “Our investigation into the offending carried out by this man is continuing.

“We suspect he may have been in contact with other girls and could well have committed sexual offences against others. We would urge anyone who has been in contact with him to contact us.”

The married NHS executive worked with the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust as a performance and informatics specialist.

In a statement, the trust said Lipscombe was initially suspended when he was arrested, then later dismissed in June 2024.

It added there was “nothing has been identified at this stage to indicate this individual’s criminal activity was committed as part of their role”.

The flying of St George’s flags across the country are creating “no-go” zones for NHS staff, with some facing frequent abuse, health bosses have warned.

Several NHS trust chief executives and leaders have said staff feel intimidated by the national symbols, including when they make home visits.

The findings follow a survey conducted among senior managers, 45% of whom were extremely concerned about discrimination towards staff.

A leader of a trust said anonymously that there were safety issues around how they work in the community, with nurses regularly visiting patients in their homes alone.

He said: “You’re going in on your own, you’re locking the door behind you.

“I have been into homes with people who have been convicted of sex offences, and we go in and provide care to them.

“It can be a really precarious situation, and they [the nurses] handle that absolutely brilliantly.

“The autonomy and the clinical decisions that they make within that, I think, is fantastic.

“We saw during the time when the flags went up – our staff, who are a large minority of black and Asian staff, feeling deliberately intimidated.

“It felt like the flags were up creating no-go zones. That’s what it felt like to them.

“You add that on top of real autonomous working, that real bravery of working in people’s homes, with an environment… [where] it feels like it’s an area that’s designed to exclude them.

“Our staff continue to work in that environment, and I think they deserve our real praise and thanks as a nation, frankly, for doing that within those really difficult circumstances.”

He added his trust had also seen “individual instances of aggression towards staff”.

Another NHS trust leader said a member of staff, who is white and has children of mixed heritage, had asked some people putting up flags to move so she could park her car.

“The individuals filmed what was happening, and then followed her, and she continued to receive abuse over a series of several days, not because she objected to the flags, but because she disturbed them,” they said.

“There are lots of stories like that. There are lots of stories where people have tried to take flags down outside of their own homes and have been abused and threatened as a consequence of that.”

The leader said the “springing up of flags everywhere has created another form of intimidation and concern for many, many of our staff”.

Daniel Elkes, chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents trusts, said: “The NHS has relied on overseas recruitment for a long time to ensure we have the right workforce.

“We have a really diverse workforce and without that you can’t deliver the NHS.

“We are trying to recruit from the very places where we provide healthcare so the intake into the NHS is representative of British people from more diverse backgrounds.”

Professor Nicola Ranger, the Royal College of Nursing’s general secretary, said: “Following a summer of further racist disorder, it is little wonder a growing number of nursing staff report feeling unsafe, particularly when having to work on their own and often at night.

“The government and all politicians have to stop pandering to dangerous anti-migrant sentiments and employers must prioritise tackling racism and work with trade unions to develop stronger mechanisms to protect staff.”

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A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said there was “no place for intimidation, racism or abuse in our country or our NHS”, adding that threats and aggression should be reported to police.

They said the government valued the “diversity of our NHS”, and that workers “must be treated with dignity and respect”.

“Our flags represent our history, our heritage, and our values,” they said. “They are a symbol of our nation and belong to all of us – not just some of us.”

The survey findings come ahead of strike action by resident doctors over pay and jobs due to take place on Friday for five days.