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The chairwoman of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee has claimed that BBC director general Tim Davie "just ignored" concerns about the Panorama documentary and should have acted faster amid his resignation. Dame Caroline Dinenage said that Mr Davie didn't seriously consider concerns highlighted in Michael Prescott's report regarding the editing of a speech by Donald Trump for Panorama. BBC chairman Samir Shah is anticipated to send an apology letter to the committee on Monday following accusations that the corporation misled the public with claims of selective editing in the documentary, Trump: A Second Chance?. Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, she said: "I’m very sad about Tim Davie stepping down. I think he was an effective leader at the BBC. "I think he was a great champion for public service media, but there is no escaping the fact that he was very slow to act on this particular issue. But this isn’t the first time and on this particular issue, Michael Prescott’s report, he just didn’t take it seriously until it was too late. "He should have reacted with concern and examined the claims, but just ignored it. But you know, I do feel it was entirely avoidable and it’s really regretful given the huge commitment to the BBC and public service that Tim Davie demonstrated." Dame Caroline also mentioned that she finds it "a little bit odd" that her committee has not yet heard from Mr Shah. The departure of Mr Davie and BBC News chief executive Deborah Turness on Sunday came after mounting pressure on the corporation regarding the controversy. A memo from Mr Prescott, a former external adviser to the BBC's editorial standards committee, highlighted concerns during the summer about how footage of the US president's 6 January 2021 address was edited together to suggest he had told supporters he would march to the US Capitol with them to "fight like hell". Detractors argued the documentary, aired by the BBC the week prior to last year's US election, was misleading and omitted a segment where the US president stated he wanted supporters to protest peacefully. Mr Trump welcomed the departures and alleged there had been an effort to "step on the scales of a presidential election", declaring: "What a terrible thing for Democracy!". Veterans minister Louise Sandher-Jones dismissed claims the BBC was institutionally biased and told Sky News: "When you look at the huge range of domestic issues, local issues, international issues, that it has to cover, I think its output is very trusted. "When I speak to people who've got very strongly held views on those, they're still using the BBC for a lot of their information, it's forming their views on this. "I think we can all point to elements of BBC broadcasting of news and say 'well, that reflects my views, and that doesn't' and that's absolutely right, that we should be able to say that." When questioned about Donald Trump's remarks on the BBC, Ms Sandher-Jones responded: "President Trump will obviously speak for himself. Tim Davie and Deborah Turness have been quite clear that it's their decision that they've stepped down and I note that the board has thanked them for their service and had said that it had supported them. "But they've, as they've said, taken accountability for what the BBC has put out. I think it is very important that public figures have accountability." * Join The Mirror’s WhatsApp Community or follow us on Google News , Flipboard , Apple News, TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads - or visit The Mirror homepage.
