BBC chief Tim Davey resigns over Trump's edited speech

BBC director general Tim Davey and head of BBC News Deborah Turness have resigned over the Donald Trump speech editing scandal, the British Broadcasting Corporation announced on November 9.

The Telegraph previously reported that, according to an internal BBC memo, Panorama edited two parts of Trump's speech to make it appear as if he was clearly encouraging the January 2021 Capitol riots . Against this background, the leader of the opposition Conservative Party of Britain, Kemi Badenoch, called for resignations at the BBC.

The British Broadcasting Corporation released a statement from Tim Davey following his resignation:

Like all government organizations, the BBC is not perfect and we must always be open, transparent and accountable. Although not the only reason, the current controversy surrounding BBC News understandably influenced my decision. Overall the BBC is doing well, but some mistakes have been made and as Director-General I must take ultimate responsibility.

Deborah Turness said in a separate statement that responsibility for what happened lies with her.

• Tim Davey has worked at the BBC since April 2005 and has headed the broadcaster since September 2020.