
How the BBC got into a mess over Gaza
As the Guardian's media editor Michael Savage tells Helen Pidd, the release of this report has come after a particularly intense period for the BBC, in which its handling of the war in Gaza has been heavily criticised. In response to the resignation of Gary Lineker, its coverage of Glastonbury performers, and its decision not to broadcast certain documentaries, the BBC has faced heightened criticism from many sides in the conflict.
The pair discuss how the Labour government is approaching the BBC, the shrinking number of licence fee subscribers, and whether this string of controversies will change the way the corporation approaches more sensitive issues.
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The Independent
18 minutes ago
- The Independent
Intelligence committee demands to know why ministers kept them in the dark over Afghan data breach
Furious members of the parliamentary committee which deals with national security have written to ministers demanding to know why they were kept in the dark for three years over the Afghan data breach. The Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) has a statutory duty to oversee and scrutinise intelligence matters but were not informed of the data breach, which affected up to 100,000 Afghans and cost the UK taxpayer an estimated £7bn, for three years. The breach happened when an unnamed official, who was not sacked, sent an email with a datasheet of what they thought were 150 names to help get them evacuated as the Taliban swept to power. But instead the data contained details of thousands of Afghans who were then left exposed. In a terse letter to ministers, the chairman of the committee, Lord Beamish, has warned that there were 'no grounds' to withhold the information from them. The committee notoriously operates in secret and does not reveal the sensitive issues it has discussed, as a means of ensuring that the intelligence and security services are held to account. Ministers have also been ordered to release sensitive papers on the Afghan data breach which put the lives of up to 100,000 Afghans at risk and cost the government £7bn while a secret route for asylum was created. In a statement issued after the ISC met on Thursday morning, the Labour peer Lord Beamish said: 'The committee has today written to require, under the statutory powers the committee has in the Justice and Security Act 2013, that Defence Intelligence (DI) and Joint Intelligence Organisation assessments be provided to it immediately, together with any other intelligence assessments as referred to by Mr Justice Chamberlain in his judgement of 15 July, the closed version of the Review by Paul Rimmer, and all other DI material relating to the ARAP scheme.' He added: 'The committee has also asked to be provided with the basis on which government counsel advised the Court of Appeal that material relating to the data loss could not be shared with this committee, given that under the Justice and Security Act 2013 classification or sensitivity of material is not grounds on which information can be withheld from the ISC.' Former Tory defence secretary Sir Ben Wallace has taken full responsibility for the breach and the decision to initially get an injunction to prevent publication of the details. His successor Sir Grant Shapps, armed forces minister James Heappey and former prime minister Rishi Sunak who oversaw the cover up have yet to make a public statement. Labour defence secretary John Healey decided to lift the superinjunction preventing publication and even discussion about the data breach on Tuesday, having previously ordered a review by Paul Rimmer. Senior ministers have told The Independent about their 'total shock' when they were presented with the facts of the breach and the super injunction on their first day in office last year.


The Independent
18 minutes ago
- The Independent
Starmer and Merz sign biggest UK-German treaty since WW2 with deals on migration, trade and security
The UK and Germany have agreed to collaborate on migration, trade and security in the biggest treaty between the two countries since the end of the Second World War. Meeting at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, Sir Keir Starmer and the German chancellor Friedrich Merz also agreed to "work ever more closely" on a range of issues. Under the deal, Germany will close a loophole to allow police to seize small boats being used by migrants to cross the Channel. As part of moves designed to cut post-Brexit red tape, German school trips to the UK will also become visa-free by the end of the year, while British visitors to Germany will be able to use its passport e-gates by the end of August. The fast-track will initially be for frequent travellers but will eventually be extended to all British visitors, as part of Sir Keir's wider Brexit 'reset' with the EU. Sir Keir described the document, known as the Kensington Treaty, as 'very special'. The Labour leader said it was "evidence of the closeness of our relationship as it stands today" as well as a "statement of intent, a statement of our ambition to work ever more closely together". The treaty also includes a new taskforce designed to pave the way for direct train services between the two countries, which it is hoped could begin within the next decade. After the signing ceremony, the two leaders then travelled to Downing Street for a further meeting. Mr Merz said he had been "surprised" to learn that the agreement was the first UK-Germany treaty since the Second World War. "We had you in the European Union and we thought that was enough," he said. "But we are now learning that it's not enough so we have to do more on that." On small boats, Germany has agreed to make people smuggling to the UK an offence by the end of 2025. While people smuggling into fellow EU countries is a crime under German law, trafficking migrants into the UK has not been illegal since Brexit. Most asylum seekers who cross the Channel embark from the French coast, however Germany is viewed as a transit country for migrants and is frequently used as a storage hubs for boats and transport equipment. At least 22,000 people have already made the journey since January, putting 2025 on course to be a record year for crossings. Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, had won German agreement to change the law to criminalise assisting the smuggling of migrants to the UK in December with Mr Merz's predecessor Olaf Scholz. However, a change in government in Berlin meant that it had to be renegotiated. Prior to his visit, Sir Keir said: 'Chancellor Merz's commitment to make necessary changes to German law to disrupt the supply lines of the dangerous vessels which carry illegal migrants across the Channel is hugely welcome. 'As the closest of allies, we will continue to work closely together to deliver on the priorities that Brits and Germans share.' The leaders also agreed to jointly produce defence exports such as Boxer armoured vehicles and Typhoon jets and commit to developing their deep precision strike missile in the next decade, with a range of more than 2,000 kilometres. A series of commercial investments are being announced to coincide with the visit, worth more than £200 million and will create more than 600 new jobs. These include defence tech company Stark setting up a production facility in Swindon, its first outside Germany, and conversational AI firm Cognigy investing £50 million and expanding its UK team from 13 to 150.


The Independent
18 minutes ago
- The Independent
Reform puts power companies on notice over clean energy plans
Reform UK has informed major wind and solar developers that it would terminate their access to the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme if the party comes to power. Deputy leader Richard Tice sent a formal notice, warning companies that participating in the upcoming CfD auction (AR7) would be at their own risk. The CfD scheme currently guarantees renewable energy developers a fixed price for electricity, insulating them from market volatility and encouraging investment. Climate analysts warned that scrapping the scheme would deter investment, jeopardise British jobs, and increase the UK's reliance on foreign gas. Labour criticised Reform UK's position, stating it would discourage clean energy investment, threaten jobs, and put the nation's energy security at risk.