Samir Shah also confirms that the BBC understands that the editing of the speech gave the impression that President Donald Trump directly called for violence in the wake of the Capitol in Washington DC being stormed that same day.
Shah's statement comes after BBC CEO Tim Davie and head of news Deborah Turness resigned over the weekend following harsh criticism of how Trump's speech had been cut.
Trump threatens to sue
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has described the BBC as “100 percent fake news” and “a left-wing propaganda machine.” And on Truth Social, Trump wrote that “they got caught manipulating my perfect speech.”
On Monday afternoon, BBC News also reported that the group had received a letter from Trump threatening legal action.
BBC Chairman Shah says in an interview with a BBC reporter that he has communicated directly with Trump's staff about the cut and that he is also considering personally apologizing to the president.
Starmer: Vital role
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says through a spokesperson that he does not see the BBC as a corrupt institution.
The BBC plays a vital role in this era of disinformation, the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson adds that the need for a robust and independent British news service is greater than ever.
However, opposition politician Nigel Farage, leader of the British Reform Party, is critical of the BBC. He says the public service has no future if it cannot produce “straight news” and adds that current licence funding is unsustainable.
Farage believes that the BBC should be forced to compete with other media companies and live on subscriber revenue instead of license fees.
