Union demands Sir Robbie Gibb's removal from BBC board

The biggest union among BBC employees has demanded that Sir Robbie Gibb is removed from the corporation's board.

The culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, has meanwhile insisted that the broadcaster believes itself to be safe from claims of defamation. Writing to her and Samir Shah, the chair of the BBC board, on Friday, the Broadcasting, Entertainment, Communications and Theatre Union (BECTU) claimed that their members are concerned about the organisation's ability to resist political pressure and "uphold the integrity of its journalism".

The letter comes after BBC's director-general Tim Davie and chief executive Deborah Turness resigned amid concerns about the BBC's impartiality, including how a speech by US President Donald Trump was edited in an episode of Panorama last year. BECTU said it was vital that both the government and the BBC board are "truly committed to the future of the organisation, its mission, its independence and its values".

To achieve this, they said, Sir Robbie Gibb - who worked as Theresa May's director of communications after a career at the corporation - should be removed from the broadcaster's board. They continued: "We simply do not see how staff can have faith in the BBC's leadership while a crucial position on the board is filled by someone perceived by many staff and external commentators as sympathetic to, or actively part of, a campaign to undermine the BBC and influence its political impartiality." Since his appointment, Sir Robbie has faced opposition due to his ties to the Conservative party.

The Guardian has reported that sources told the publication he had "led the charge" against Mr Davie, helping force his resignation through a "coup". A friend of Sir Robbie's suggested to Deadline that the coup theory was "absolute nonsense.