BBC bosses ‘right to stick by their guns’ against Trump, says minister

Keir Starmer urged to ‘stand up for the BBC’ after US president files $10bn lawsuit against corporation

BBC bosses are “right to stick by their guns” against Donald Trump, a minister has said, after the US president filed a $10bn lawsuit against the corporation.

The UK government is under pressure to throw its weight behind the corporation as Trump demands billions in damages over its editing of a speech he made to supporters in Washington before they stormed the US Capitol in 2021.

Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, urged Keir Starmer to “stand up for the BBC against Trump’s outrageous legal threat”.

“The Trump administration has clearly set out they want to interfere in our democracy, which includes undermining our national broadcaster. The prime minister needs to make clear this is unacceptable,” Davey said.