How the government captured the BBC A right-wing cabal, largely unaccountable, is waging war on the principles that made our public broadcaster great. It must not succeed

Nearly two years ago, I wrote about the extraordinary influence of former Tory spin doctor Sir Robbie Gibb on the BBC. It's still a helpful backgrounder for what's going on now. New readers start here: www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/media/...

Dear Reform voters
if Farage becomes PM
and the NHS completely privatised
expect your family members
to die young
from lack of care

"Good luck Reform voters....Farage is NOT an advocate for your NHS. Beware. Be very aware of what this means in REAL terms for you and your family."
via Olivia Stevens

The BBC isn't perfect. But it remains an institution defending British values against a populist, Trump-style takeover.

Party leaders must unite to defend it.

Trump and his cronies have the BBC in their sights. Leaders can’t stay silent while one of our great institutions is attacked.

We must defend its independence, end political appointments, and remove Robbie Gibb from the Board.

Bluesky suspended Sarah Kendzior today for no reason whatsoever. She just shared excerpts of her articles, which were as always incisive and not offensive at all. Hey @pfrazee.com this is super not OK. I know her- we've interacted a fair bit via chats and her work is essential.

A 2% wealth tax on assets over £10 million is reasonable - that's why 75% of the public support it along with 80% of millionaires.

Our member @stephenstroud.bsky.social chats to GB News.

The Telegraph had to correct its multiple lies about "illegal immigrants" in London at least three separate times.

BBC board member with Tory links ‘led charge’ in systemic bias claims, say insiders Sources say Robbie Gibb amplified criticisms of Trump, Gaza and trans rights coverage, and had ‘a lot of oxygen in the room’

It’s astonishing that a man who was director of communications for a political party & who helped set up a right wing propaganda TV channel should have ever been placed on the board of a supposedly impartial & independent broadcasting service.

www.theguardian.com/media/2025/n...

1/ Michael Prescott of Hanover Communications, whose leaked memo alleging left-wing bias led to the BBC meltdown.

You could be forgiven for thinking that a corporate lobbyist & former Murdoch press hack may not have the best interests of public-service broadcasting at heart.

I've always felt that Johnson and Farage put self-interest over the national interest - hence their dallying with Putin and his oligarchs. But directly colluding with a foreign government to take down the BBC feels like an act of supreme treachery

SUPERB and angrily unvarnished response, by former BBC chairman, Lord Patten.

"I don't think that we should allow ourselves to be bullied into thinking that the BBC is only any good, if it reflects the prejudice of the last person who shouted at it." ~AA

I’ve written to Keir Starmer, Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage urging them to condemn Donald Trump’s attack on the BBC.

The BBC belongs to Britain, not Trump. We must defend it together.

Should Gibb be sacked? yes, obviously. He's an abomination of basic journalistic standards. His GB News channel spreads conspiracy theory & disinformation. His Jewish Chronicle newspaper spreads invented stories. He is plainly trying to undermine the BBC so it's as bad as everything else he touches.

Maybe Keir should demand the heads of major US news networks any time they imply Britain is on the brink of civil war or that we live under sharia law. Or does it not work both ways?

Reform UK suspends another member of Kent county council Isabella Kemp’s departure means party has lost nine of 57 councillors elected in May, including four after video leak

Reform says Kent CC is their "shop window", where the country can see what a Farage gov't would be like.

Well... chaos, suspensions, defections, paralysis, zero "DOGE" savings, tax rises, and a leader making mad-dictator speeches, sounds about right. ~AA

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Lancashire’s Reform-run council plans to close care homes and day centres Questions about potential conflict of interest as council’s cabinet member for social care owns private care company

Meanwhile, in Reform's Lancashire CC, the councillor in charge of care homes, owns a private care home, and is closing council care homes. 👀

A resident’s son, a Reform party member, said any move would “kill” his mother. ~AA
#NeverThoughtTheLeopards

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

It’s not at all clear to me how the BBC can do any kind of serious journalism if its top two bosses can be forced to quit over such an obviously confected scandal. There is no substantive error here. How can the BBC report on Trump, or Farage, or anyone else, in these circumstances?

Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, the dream team.

Dear god.

Incredibly sobering post but do bear this section in mind when you hear Chris Philp and Robert Jenrick getting on their high horse...

1/ The US Government has quietly removed a memorial to Black soldiers who died in World War II from the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten, South Limburg. The move follows a complaint from the right-wing Heritage Foundation to the American Battle Monuments Commission. ⬇️

The double standards here are astonishing, given selective and/or often fabricated torrent of media distributed by Trump's supporters in justifying Jan 6. That British politicians are publicly pressurising the BBC over this is even more shocking.

Palantir CEO Karp twice slams short sellers as stock suffers worst week since April Palantir CEO Alex Karp twice confronted short sellers this week as the company's shares suffered a double-digit drop.

Alex Karp and Peter Thiel are two of the worst people on this planet running one of the most evil companies to ever exist—we should do whatever we can to make Palantir go bankrupt.

BREAKING NEWS: Two panels dedicated to Black Americans who liberated the Netherlands have suddenly disappeared at Margraten. "This is in line with the Trump administration's policy."

Op Margraten zijn twee panelen over zwarte Amerikaanse bevrijders van Nederland opeens weg. ‘Past bij beleid van de regering-Trump’ Monument: Op de Amerikaanse begraafplaats in Margraten is het opeens stil geworden rond de zwarte Amerikanen die hielpen Nederland bevrijden. Twee panelen die hun bijdrage herdachten – én wezen op hun...

Two panels highlighting the role of African American soldiers in the liberation of the Netherlands have been removed from the American Military Cemetary Margraten. The Cemetary is controlled by the AMBC, and the panels were removed in line with current Trump policy.

www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2025/...

WTF?!? Two panels of black Americans who helped liberate the Netherlands at the American Cemetery in Margraten were removed without explanation.

Op Margraten zijn twee panelen over zwarte Amerikaanse bevrijders van Nederland opeens weg. ‘Past bij beleid van de regering-Trump’ Op de Amerikaanse begraafplaats in Margraten is het opeens stil geworden rond de zwarte Amerikanen die hielpen Nederland bevrijden. Twee panelen die hun bijdrage herdachten – én wezen op hun strijd tegen racisme binnen het leger – werden zonder toelichting verwijderd.

Op Margraten zijn twee panelen over zwarte Amerikaanse bevrijders van Nederland opeens weg. ‘Past bij beleid van de regering-Trump’

"Far from draining our welfare system, migrants are supporting the British state’s solvency."

New analysis by @lgilbert.co

ukandeu.ac.uk/lower-migrat...

Lower migration is bad news for the UK economy - UK in a changing Europe Lauren Gilbert argues that migrants to the UK are net fiscal contributors, adding much more to the economy than they take out, and that the recent collapse in immigration will harm the UK's economic p...

I have a new blog post out with The UK In A Changing Europe on how lower migration will be bad for the UK economy: ukandeu.ac.uk/lower-migrat...

"World's first potential trillionaire has killed 600,000 people, including 400,000 children" is the only headline that anyone should ever read about Elon Musk