𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

The Government has been urged to place the BBC in “special measures” as if it were a failing school after it screened a musician leading chants at the Glastonbury Festival calling for “death” to Israel’s defence forces. Campaigners say the BBC can “no longer be trusted to mark its own homework” following international outrage at the screening of punk duo Bob Vylan’s set.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy is being pushed to intervene following a “series of high-profile blunders” which the group Defund the BBC claims has revealed “deeply ingrained ideological bias”. Campaign director Rebecca Ryan is calling for the broadcaster to “go back to the drawing board” and undergo a “rigorous independent bias check”.

In a letter to the Culture Secretary, she says the BBC has “has clearly failed to uphold the standards expected of it”.

She states: “We believe that much like a school that doesn’t meet standards, it must be placed into a system of special measures to restore public confidence.”

The review, she adds, must be “truly independent of all existing structures” and should be funded from cash currently allocated to the BBC and Ofcom.

Her call was backed by former Brexit minister David Jones.

He said: “The BBC’s handling of Glastonbury, alongside a series of other recent failings, has deepened public concern about its judgment, leadership and impartiality. Trust is being lost.

“A fully independent review is now essential to restore confidence and ensure the BBC meets the standards rightly expected of a national broadcaster.”

The BBC declined to comment on the call for it to be placed in special measures but pointed to a statement in which it admitted “errors were made both in the lead-up to and during Bob Vylan’s appearance”. These included not cutting the feed during the performance.

It says any music performances “deemed high risk will now not be broadcast live” and “regrets that such offensive and deplorable behaviour appeared on the BBC”.

Defund the BBC’s Ms Ryan said: “This is just the latest in a series of high-profile blunders, particularly in its coverage of the Israel-Hamas war, that imply deeply ingrained ideological bias and serious failing when it comes to its duty to the public.”

Culture Secretary Ms Nandy last week told MPs she was “not satisfied” with the information provided to her by the BBC about its failure to pull the live feed.