Davey to Starmer: stop Trump's BBC licence fee cash grab now

EMBARGO: 22:30 Thursday 13 November 

The Liberal Democrats are demanding the Prime Minister get on the phone to Trump to stop the President suing the BBC for $1 billion.

Leader Ed Davey and Culture, Media and Sport Spokesperson Anna Sabine have written to the Prime Minister arguing that the President is trying to “destroy the BBC and take the hard-earned money” of licence fee payers. The party is calling on Starmer to leverage his special relationship with Trump to get him to block the lawsuit.

The letter follows Davey’s PMQ this week, which challenged Starmer to guarantee that President Trump will not get a single penny from British licence fee payers.

Davey said that Trump’s attacks on the BBC go “well beyond” the mistakes made by Panorama and constitute a “broader assault” on the free press – continuing the work of the President in crippling America’s public broadcasters and suing news outlets including the Wall Street Journal.

The Liberal Democrats said Starmer must act on his commitment to “always stand[ing] up for a strong, independent BBC” and stand against the man trying to take down the strength and independence of the British broadcaster. Trump has imposed a deadline of 10pm today [Friday 14 November] for the BBC to respond.

In the letter, Ed Davey, Leader of the Liberal Democrats, said:

Dear Prime Minister,

We are writing to urge you to pick up the phone to President Trump and tell him to drop his threat of a ludicrous $1 billion lawsuit against the BBC, before his deadline of 10pm tomorrow.

It is clear that President Trump is trying to destroy the BBC and take the hard-earned money of the UK’s 23.8 million licence-fee-paying households. This is part of his broader assault on the free press, which has seen him cripple America's public broadcasters with funding cuts, ban journalists from the Pentagon, and bring a $10 billion lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal.

Trump’s attacks on the BBC go well beyond the mistakes over last year’s Panorama broadcast – for which the BBC Chair has rightly apologised. President Trump has smeared BBC journalists as “corrupt”, while his White House press secretary described the BBC as “100% fake news” and urged everyone to watch GB News.

The government must stand up for Britain, stand up for the free press, protect licence fee payers, and defend the impartiality and independence of the BBC.

The BBC belongs to the British people. It is the world’s number one source of trusted news, and an essential part of our democracy. Its strength lies in its independence and impartiality, so the government must protect it from being bullied and undermined – whether by President Trump or anyone else.

We urge you – before Trump’s deadline of 10pm tomorrow – to call the President and tell him in no uncertain terms to stop his attack on one of our country’s most precious institutions. You should make clear that there is no chance of him getting a single penny of licence fee payers’ money.

At Prime Minister’s Questions yesterday, you said “I will always stand up for a strong, independent BBC.” This is the moment to do just that.

Yours sincerely,

Ed Davey, Leader of the Liberal Democrats

Anna Sabine, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Culture, Media and Sport

ENDS