The BBC is under attack from various politicians following news is that the BBC Director-General (Tim Davie) and the Chief Executive Officer of BBC News (Deborah Turness) have resigned.
Davie's resignation follows a leaked internal memo stating that a Panorama documentary on President Donald J Trump made it appear that Trump directly called for an attack on the United States Capitol (6 January 2021).
The BBC exists by virtue of a Royal Charter. The current Charter began on 1 January 2017 and will end on 31 December 2027. The history of the Charter is set out HERE.
An Agreement
between the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (now Lisa Nandy MP) and the BBC sits alongside the Charter. It provides further detail on many of the topics outlined in the Charter including the BBC's funding and its regulatory duties. The Agreement runs coterminous to the Charter but can be amended during the Charter period subject to the agreement of the Secretary of State and the BBC.Prerogative
The Charter was issued using Royal Prerogative which is an important source of what are mostly, in practice, governmental powers.
See Parliament - Research Briefings - The Royal Prerogative and Ministerial Advice
The BBC Charter
The BBC Royal Charter sets out the public purposes of the BBC, guarantees its independence and sets out the governance arrangements. The guarantee of independence from government is especially important.
Practically, the Charter may be insufficient to protect the BBC. The corporation also requires robust governance and willingness by government to defend its independence.
The Public Purposes of the BBC include the provision of impartial news and information.
Note: I make no comment about any legal action against the BBC that Trump plans. Any such action will be in the USA.
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