UK minister urges BBC to stand firm against Trump lawsuit

The BBC says there is no legal basis for Trump's claim and that it would defend its position

People stand outside BBC Broadcasting House, after Director General Tim Davie and CEO of BBC News Deborah Turness resigned on Sunday, Nov 9, following accusations of bias at the British broadcaster, including in the way it edited a speech by US President Donald Trump, in London, Britain, Nov 14, 2025. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes

A British government minister said on Tuesday he believed the BBC was right to stand firm against Donald Trump after the US President sued the broadcaster for defamation over edited clips of a speech linked to the Jan 6 Capitol attack.

The BBC, Britain's publicly funded broadcaster, has apologised for the edit and admitted an error of judgment but said there was no legal basis for Trump's claim and that it would defend its position.

"They have apologised for one or two of the mistakes that were made in that Panorama programme, but they've also been very clear that there is no case to answer in terms of Mr Trump's accusations on the broader point about libel or defamation," junior health minister, Stephen Kinnock, told Sky News.

"So I think it's right that the BBC stands firm on that point."