Tim Davie says he can ‘lead' the BBC in ‘right way' in wake of scandals
The corporation's annual report showed that Mr Davie, who has been in the role since 2020, has had a 3.8% pay rise with his salary going up £20,000 from £527,000 last year to £547,000.
Director-general of the BBC Tim Davie (Peter Byrne/PA)
Mr Davie was asked during the release of the corporation's 2024/2025 annual report on Tuesday whether he would resign.
He said: 'I simply think I'm in a place where I can work to improve dramatically the BBC and lead it in the right way.
'We will make mistakes, but I think as a leadership and myself, I've been very clear, and I think we have been decisive.
'There's enormous, massive noise and different opinions about what we should do, but I think we have been clear. We are making the right decisions. We're being transparent on what we do, and I think that's what counts. I would also say that under my tenure, I've set a very clear stall out in terms of impartiality.
'I think we're setting a global standard in terms of public service broadcasting and media.
'Under my leadership, and the team I've assembled, I think we feel very passionately about that.
'One of the things that I focus on, as a leader, is there has never been a more important time for public service broadcasting.
'Gaza has been the most challenging editorial issue I've had to deal with, but the importance of fair, balanced reporting, the need for high quality, homegrown programming in the face of massive pressure, I think, has never, ever been greater.
'I believe my leadership and the team I've assembled can really help the leadership thrive in that environment.'
Dr Samir Shah, BBC chair. (Department for Culture, Media and Sport/PA)
This comes after a review conducted by Peter Johnston, the director of editorial complaints and reviews – which is independent of BBC News, and published on Monday, found its documentary, Gaza: Surviving a Warzone, breached BBC editorial guidelines on accuracy for failing to disclose details of the narrator's father.
The report did not find any other breaches of editorial guidelines, including breaches of impartiality and also found no evidence that 'outside interests' 'inappropriately impacted on the programme'.
Since the report was published, broadcasting regulator Ofcom announced it would investigate the documentary under its own broadcasting code, which states that factual programmes 'must not materially mislead the audience'.
Dr Samir Shah, BBC chair, added: 'I want to be absolutely clear that I and the board support Tim Davie's leadership fully.
'He has shown very confident and decisive leadership in a very, very challenging environment, right from the start
'The number of issues of vision from people behaving badly to News in some cases, when it's appropriate, decisively and shouldn't do it all, in other cases,
'We are the BBC, and we will do this properly. We do it fairly, we do it correctly, and we will then take action. That's where we are at the moment.
'Tim Davie and his team, and Tim in particular, has shown very strong leadership throughout all this period, and he has my full support.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Western Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Western Telegraph
Tory ex-ministers defend record as pressure mounts after Afghan data leak
Members of the previous administration are distancing themselves from the handling of a breach which saw a defence official release the details of nearly 19,000 people seeking to flee Kabul. Shadow justice secretary and former immigration minister Robert Jenrick said he first learned of the 2022 data breach after a legal gagging order had been put in place the following year. Johnny Mercer claimed he had 'receipts' relating to the previous government's handling of Afghanistan (Andrew Matthews/PA) Former home secretary Suella Braverman said there is 'much more that needs to be said about the conduct of the MoD (Ministry of Defence), both ministers and officials' and that she was not involved in the superinjunction decision. Ex-veterans minister Johnny Mercer claimed he had 'receipts' regarding the previous government's actions in relation to Kabul but said it was 'absurd' to accuse him of failing to grasp the scale of the crisis. 'I know who is covering their tracks, and who has the courage to be honest,' he said. 'I would caution those who might attempt to rewrite history.' Thousands of people are being relocated to the UK as part of an £850 million scheme set up after the leak, which was kept secret as a result of a superinjunction imposed in 2023 which was only lifted on Tuesday. At Prime Minister's Questions, Sir Keir Starmer insisted there would be scrutiny of the decision, telling MPs: 'Ministers who served under the party opposite have serious questions to answer about how this was ever allowed to happen.' Former prime minister Liz Truss, who was foreign secretary at the time of the breach in February 2022, but a backbencher when the superinjunction was sought, said she was 'shocked' by the 'cover-up'. She said the revelations pointed to a 'huge betrayal of public trust' and 'those responsible in both governments and the bureaucracy need to be held to account'. Mr Mercer said: 'I've spilt my own blood fighting for a better Afghanistan, lost friends, fought to get operators out of the country and away from the Taliban, and visited hundreds of resettled families and hotels in the UK under direct commission from the previous prime minister after the schemes were dangerously failing. 'Others were with me in this process and we have all the receipts.' Shadow justice secretary Mr Jenrick said he had 'strongly opposed plans to bring over' thousands of Afghan nationals during 'internal government discussions in the short period before my resignation' in December 2023. 'I first learned of the data leak and plan to resettle people after the superinjunction was in place,' he said. 'Parliamentary privilege is not unlimited; I was bound by the Official Secrets Act.' Mr Jenrick said the secret scheme had been 'a complete disaster' and that the previous government 'made serious mistakes' but that 'thousands more (Afghan people) have come since Labour came to power'. The Commons Defence Committee will be setting out plans for an inquiry straight after the parliamentary recess in September. Former defence secretary Sir Ben Wallace (Ben Birchall/PA) A dataset of 18,714 who applied for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) scheme was released in February 2022 by a defence official who emailed a file outside authorised government systems. The Ministry of Defence only became aware of the blunder when excerpts from the dataset were posted anonymously on a Facebook group in August 2023, and a superinjunction was granted at the High Court in an attempt to prevent the Taliban from finding out about the leak. Then-defence secretary Sir Ben Wallace said he had applied for a four-month standard injunction shortly before leaving office but, on September 1 2023, when Grant Shapps took the role, the government was given a superinjunction. Mr Shapps has not yet publicly commented on the revelations. Sir Ben has insisted he makes 'no apology' for applying for the initial injunction, saying it was motivated by the need to protect people in Afghanistan whose safety was at risk. The leak led to the creation of a secret Afghan relocation scheme – the Afghanistan Response Route – in April 2024. The scheme is understood to have cost about £400 million so far, with a projected final cost of about £850 million. The key facts on the Afghan Resettlement data incident that took place in 2022, and the action we are taking to support those impacted. Defence Minister @LukePollard explains 👇 — Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) July 16, 2025 A total of about 6,900 people are expected to be relocated by the end of the scheme. The official responsible for the email error was moved to a new role but not sacked. The superinjunction was in place for almost two years, covering Labour and Conservative governments. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has apologised on behalf of the Conservatives for the leak, telling LBC: 'On behalf of the government and on behalf of the British people, yes, because somebody made a terrible mistake and names were put out there … and we are sorry for that.'
Western Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Western Telegraph
New stamps mark 75th anniversary of Peanuts comic strip
The eight stamps include specially adapted artworks from classic comic strips that feature the main characters, with some special British touches. Snoopy is seen perched on a red postbox with Woodstock, while Lucy and Linus enjoy a day at the seaside, building a sandcastle. One stamp shows Snoopy and Woodstock as Buckingham Palace guards (Royal Mail/PA) Another stamp shows Snoopy and Woodstock on guard duty outside Buckingham Palace. In another, Schroeder plays Pomp and Circumstance No 1 by Edward Elgar on the piano as Lucy, Snoopy and Charlie Brown celebrate nearby. Charlie Brown and Franklin are captured playing football, and another stamp shows Charlie Brown and Snoopy in the rain. For the 50 years Charles Schulz wrote Peanuts, the comic was read by millions around the world, and at one time was published in 2,600 newspapers globally. Lucy and Linus are shown with their sandcastle on another stamp (Royal Mail/PA) David Gold, Royal Mail's director of external affairs and policy, said: 'For generations, Peanuts has brought laughter, comfort, and quiet wisdom. 'This stamp collection is a heartfelt tribute to Charles M Schulz's enduring legacy and the timeless charm of his comic strip.' The stamps, and a range of collectible products, are available to pre-order from Thursday and go on general sale from July 24.
The Herald Scotland
2 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Tory ex-ministers defend record as pressure mounts after Afghan data leak
Shadow justice secretary and former immigration minister Robert Jenrick said he first learned of the 2022 data breach after a legal gagging order had been put in place the following year. Johnny Mercer claimed he had 'receipts' relating to the previous government's handling of Afghanistan (Andrew Matthews/PA) Former home secretary Suella Braverman said there is 'much more that needs to be said about the conduct of the MoD (Ministry of Defence), both ministers and officials' and that she was not involved in the superinjunction decision. Ex-veterans minister Johnny Mercer claimed he had 'receipts' regarding the previous government's actions in relation to Kabul but said it was 'absurd' to accuse him of failing to grasp the scale of the crisis. 'I know who is covering their tracks, and who has the courage to be honest,' he said. 'I would caution those who might attempt to rewrite history.' Thousands of people are being relocated to the UK as part of an £850 million scheme set up after the leak, which was kept secret as a result of a superinjunction imposed in 2023 which was only lifted on Tuesday. At Prime Minister's Questions, Sir Keir Starmer insisted there would be scrutiny of the decision, telling MPs: 'Ministers who served under the party opposite have serious questions to answer about how this was ever allowed to happen.' Former prime minister Liz Truss, who was foreign secretary at the time of the breach in February 2022, but a backbencher when the superinjunction was sought, said she was 'shocked' by the 'cover-up'. She said the revelations pointed to a 'huge betrayal of public trust' and 'those responsible in both governments and the bureaucracy need to be held to account'. Mr Mercer said: 'I've spilt my own blood fighting for a better Afghanistan, lost friends, fought to get operators out of the country and away from the Taliban, and visited hundreds of resettled families and hotels in the UK under direct commission from the previous prime minister after the schemes were dangerously failing. 'Others were with me in this process and we have all the receipts.' Shadow justice secretary Mr Jenrick said he had 'strongly opposed plans to bring over' thousands of Afghan nationals during 'internal government discussions in the short period before my resignation' in December 2023. 'I first learned of the data leak and plan to resettle people after the superinjunction was in place,' he said. 'Parliamentary privilege is not unlimited; I was bound by the Official Secrets Act.' Mr Jenrick said the secret scheme had been 'a complete disaster' and that the previous government 'made serious mistakes' but that 'thousands more (Afghan people) have come since Labour came to power'. The Commons Defence Committee will be setting out plans for an inquiry straight after the parliamentary recess in September. Former defence secretary Sir Ben Wallace (Ben Birchall/PA) A dataset of 18,714 who applied for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) scheme was released in February 2022 by a defence official who emailed a file outside authorised government systems. The Ministry of Defence only became aware of the blunder when excerpts from the dataset were posted anonymously on a Facebook group in August 2023, and a superinjunction was granted at the High Court in an attempt to prevent the Taliban from finding out about the leak. Then-defence secretary Sir Ben Wallace said he had applied for a four-month standard injunction shortly before leaving office but, on September 1 2023, when Grant Shapps took the role, the government was given a superinjunction. Mr Shapps has not yet publicly commented on the revelations. Sir Ben has insisted he makes 'no apology' for applying for the initial injunction, saying it was motivated by the need to protect people in Afghanistan whose safety was at risk. The leak led to the creation of a secret Afghan relocation scheme – the Afghanistan Response Route – in April 2024. The scheme is understood to have cost about £400 million so far, with a projected final cost of about £850 million. The key facts on the Afghan Resettlement data incident that took place in 2022, and the action we are taking to support those impacted. Defence Minister @LukePollard explains 👇 — Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) July 16, 2025 A total of about 6,900 people are expected to be relocated by the end of the scheme. The official responsible for the email error was moved to a new role but not sacked. The superinjunction was in place for almost two years, covering Labour and Conservative governments. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has apologised on behalf of the Conservatives for the leak, telling LBC: 'On behalf of the government and on behalf of the British people, yes, because somebody made a terrible mistake and names were put out there … and we are sorry for that.'
