BBC chief must 'explain bias dossier or quit', Boris says
The pressure comes after a released document exposed incidents suggesting bias in broadcaster's reporting
Boris Johnson has called on BBC director-general Tim Davie to "explain or resign" over a released dossier which uncovered "multiple acts of left-wing bias."
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The former Prime Minister said the broadcaster had "been caught red handed" and has called for Mr Davie to come clean.
The comments come after The Telegraph disclosed alleged one-sided reporting by the BBC over Gaza, as well as censorship of the trans debate and editing a speech given by Donald Trump relating to the Capitol Hill riots in 2021.
The newspaper published the text of a leaked 8,000-word letter sent to members of the BBC Board by Michael Prescott, a former standards adviser who wrote of his "despair at inaction by the BBC executive" over widespread evidence of bias.
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The letter also accused the corporation of "effective censorship" of its reporting on transgender issues, and expressed concerns that BBC Arabic was downplaying the suffering of Israelis in the Middle East conflict.
Mr Johnson told the newspaper: "The BBC has been caught red handed in multiple acts of Left-wing bias.
"They have grotesquely doctored a speech by President Trump. They have taken the words of Hamas as gospel.
"They have suppressed debate about the trans issue.
"Anyone who owns a TV is compelled to fund this organisation. Tim Davie must either explain or resign."
Mr Johnson and others have urged Mr Davie to make a statement on the growing crisis rather than wait to see whether he is summoned by the same parliamentary committee.
In July 2025, John Torode was sacked from MasterChef after a complaint that he used racist language was upheld.
The incident formed part of the legal review into behaviour on MasterChef, which was caused by the allegations about co-presenter Gregg Wallace.
The broadcaster also made headlines at Glastonbury 2025 where it showed rap group Bob Vylan leading chants of "death, death to the IDF."
Tim Davie later told Jewish staff at the broadcaster he was “appalled” by the stunt.
In February 2025 the BBC broadcast the documentary 'Gaza: How to Survive a War Zone,' but it later emerged that its narrator, 14-year-old Abdullah Al-Yazouri, was the son of a Hamas minister leading to accusations of "catastrophic failures."
In 2023, Match of the Day’s Gary Lineker made a controversial tweet in which he compared the wording in the British government's Illegal Migration Bill to Germany in the 1930s.
Lineker was suspended for a violation of the BBC’s impartiality policy and Tim Davie admitted that the corporation's impartiality guidelines lacked clarity.
The broadcaster also admitted it knew about the arrest of Huw Edwards but continued to pay him his full salary until he resigned voluntarily five and a half months later.
Nigel Huddleston, the shadow culture secretary, said he was "amazed" the BBC had remained so silent over the crisis it was facing.
Mr Huddleston said: "The BBC does need to apologise and Tim Davie needs to make a public statement sooner rather than later.
"People want to know what actions are being taken at the BBC to correct these errors. Public confidence needs to be rebuilt.
"The BBC's reputation is at stake here, its reputation around the world is built on trust and impartiality and that is being completely undermined."
The Government is preparing to publish a green paper outlining its proposals for the renewal of the BBC’s Royal Charter.
Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary, said: "The BBC holds a unique place in our national life, and it is essential that it maintains the very highest standards of accuracy and impartiality so that people can continue to have confidence in it.
"The Government takes any questions raised about the BBC’s editorial standards seriously, and we expect the organisation to reflect carefully on the feedback it receives."
Dame Priti Patel, the shadow foreign secretary, said: "Tim Davie must come out of hiding – he hasn’t said a word and there is no accountability.
"On the eve of discussions about charter renewal the BBC has become the Hamas Broadcasting Corporation and if they want any public confidence they must be more transparent and publish all of the documents referred to in this letter."
The BBC has said it does not comment on leaks and that it considers feedback carefully.