MPs call for independent investigation into BBC Gaza documentary

A number of senior MPs have called for an independent inquiry into the production of the BBC’s controversial Gaza documentary.

Last night, the corporation apologised and admitted to “serious flaws” in the making of Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone after it emerged that the film’s teenage narrator had family ties to Hamas.

The broadcaster said that the programme’s independent producers, Hoyo Films, knew that Abdullah Al-Yazouri was the son of Ayman Al-Yazouri, a minister in the Hamas government.

But it insisted that this fact was not disclosed by Hoyo to the BBC prior to the documentary airing last week.

It also confirmed that Hoyo paid 13-year-old Abdullah’s mother a “limited sum of money” for the narration, through his sister’s bank account.

MPs from all parties have voiced criticism of the BBC this week, with some calling for a review of its coverage of Israel more generally.

Damien Egan, who is Jewish and sits as Labour MP for Bristol North East, told the JC: “Taxpayers’ money is meant to be used to ensure we get impartial coverage. Clearly that’s not happening and this is the latest is a long list of journalistic failures at the BBC.

"Being generous you might say there’s unconscious bias, but I think there’s a growing feeling that these failings are more deliberate and we need an independent inquiry to get to the bottom of why things are going so wrong at the BBC.”

Similarly Reform UK’s Deputy Leader Richard Tice has demanded resignations at the corporation over the documentary.

“Who is going to resign and how senior are they?”, he told JC.

The MP for Boston and Skegness went on to say that “the findings of any inquiry have to be made public”, referencing the 2004 Balen report into apparent anti-Israel bias in the broadcaster’s coverage which, “after 21 years”, has still not been released.

“They are a publicly funded body, and they need to be held accountable”, Tice added.

Elsewhere, Conservative Shadow Culture Secretary Stuart Andrew raised concerns regarding the BBC’s admission, telling the Today programme that the potential payment of money to Hamas linked-figures should be looked into by the police.

“Hamas is a proscribed terrorist organisation in this country and if public money has got into the hands of Hamas … then that needs and warrants a proper criminal investigation”, he said.

It was “imperative”, according to Andrew, that an investigation into the documentary be independent, a point made earlier this week by his party leader Kemi Badenoch.

“On an occasion like this, where the BBC themselves are acknowledging that the mistakes are significant and damaging, we can’t them have them marking their own homework. That has to be someone external that looks into this properly and robustly”, he added.

Likewise, Labour’s Luke Akehurst said that the British people “expect far better standards from the BBC as our national public service broadcaster.”

The MP for North Durham added: “There have been long-term concerns about bias in its Middle East coverage but this latest issue with the documentary is an extremely egregious and shocking case.”

Akehurst, the former director of campaign group We Believe in Israel, said he hoped “public scrutiny of this incident will be the wake-up call that the BBC needs”.

And, in a statement to the Commons, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said that she would be having “an urgent meeting with the BBC Chair later today”.

“I want assurances that no stone will be left unturned by the fact-finding review now commissioned by the BBC's Director General”, she explained.

Although she did not announce support for an independent investigation, Nandy’s statement said that: "This review must be comprehensive, rigorous and get to the bottom of exactly what has happened in this case. It is critical for trust in the BBC that this review happens quickly, and that appropriate action is taken on its findings."