Lisa Nandy hits out at BBC leadership over Glastonbury live stream
It came after rapper Bobby Vylan led crowds at the festival's West Holts Stage in chants of 'free, free Palestine' and 'death, death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)' on Saturday.
Ms Nandy said the Government is 'exasperated' with the 'lack of account from the leadership', as MPs from across the chamber called for accountability.
Bobby Vylan performing at Glastonbury Festival (Ben Birchall/PA)
In a statement on the BBC and Glastonbury, she said 'problems with broadcasts' at the festival 'should have been foreseeable'.
Labour MP Peter Prinsley (Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket) said: 'How are Jews such as myself, in this country, to be reassured about the editorial processes of the BBC? And who on Earth will be held accountable for this error?'
Ms Nandy replied: 'He makes an extremely important point about accountability, and that is something that is not lost on me as the Secretary of State, and something that I've impressed upon the BBC leadership as well.
'When you have one editorial failure, it's something that must be gripped. When you have several, it becomes a problem of leadership.'
Conservative former minister John Glen said: 'I think we all in this place understand the fine editorial judgments that the BBC and their staff have to make, but this is of a completely different order, and when people are losing faith in the great institutions of this country, could I urge the Secretary of State, in her follow-up conversations that … the BBC actually identified accountability to individuals?'
He added: 'Somebody didn't follow that guidance, and I think the country expects people to be held individually to account for why they fail to do their job properly.'
Ms Nandy replied: 'I think people do expect people to be held to account for the way that they do their jobs, be that on the front line or at senior levels. It's a point that I've made to the BBC.
'They will have heard what he said and what (Mr Prinsley) said as well about accountability, and it's a point that I will continue to press.'
Jim Allister, TUV MP for North Antrim, described the live stream as 'an appalling pro-terrorist broadcast', adding: 'The BBC deliberately chose not to cut the broadcast, perhaps therefore it's time for Government to consider cutting the licence fee?'
Ms Nandy replied: 'He will know that this Government supports the BBC. We believe it is an important institution.
'That is why we are so disappointed that this has happened, why we have been so exasperated with the lack of account from the leadership, not just about this, but about a previous Gaza documentary and a number of other issues as well.
'The BBC is one of the most important institutions in our country, and that is the reason why it is held to the highest of standards.'
Conservative MP Dame Caroline Dinenage, who chairs the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, said: 'I wonder if the Secretary of State could say what explanation the BBC has given for why this live stream wasn't cut?
'Now it can't be for lack of staff on the ground. They took a reported 400 people to Glastonbury at the weekend. What were they all doing?'
Ms Nandy replied: 'I think she's right to raise the question of what the number of staff who were present at the Glastonbury Festival, or working on the broadcast, were doing.
'But I do think this also raises very, very serious questions at the highest levels of the BBC about the operational oversight and the way in which editorial standards are understood and reflected in the decisions that are made by individual staff.'
Shadow culture secretary Stuart Andrew called for an independent inquiry, claiming the BBC 'has repeatedly failed to call out antisemitic rhetoric, when it emerges under the guise of political commentary, and has faced serious allegations of minimising attacks on Jewish communities'.
Ms Nandy replied: 'What I want to see from the BBC, and I know he shares this, is rapid action to make sure this cannot happen again.'
She also claimed an Independent MP was 'aligning himself with antisemites'.
Ayoub Khan, MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, had accused the Government of 'hypocrisy' because it did not make a statement when Israeli football fans 'were chanting 'death to all Arabs'' in November last year.
Ms Nandy said she 'could not disagree more', adding: 'I think every member of this House will utterly condemn chants of 'death to all Arabs' – it's disgusting and disgraceful.'
She continued: 'The reason I have brought a statement to the House today is because our national broadcaster, which is funded by the licence fee, which is paid by the public in this country, has broadcast something that is deeply, deeply offensive to a community in this country, that has made many, many people feel and may actually have made them unsafe.
'Can I just say to him that as a longstanding supporter of justice for the Palestinians, he does nothing for the Palestinian cause by aligning himself with antisemites.'
In a point of order, Mr Khan said: 'At no stage have I said in my question or statement that I was aligning myself to anyone at that Glastonbury event.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
I am alive because my ancestors realised Jews were in danger. Britain is nearly there
The reason that I am alive today is that, for my ancestors, there was a moment that they realised that their country was falling apart and becoming unsafe for Jews. For me, that moment came as I saw the footage from Glastonbury. As Chief Executive of Campaign Against Antisemitism, I have had a front row seat as this country that sheltered my grandparents during the Second World War has become increasingly unrecognisable through hatred and extremism. But Glastonbury was a pivotal moment for me, when some kind of ancestral sense was activated. Tens of thousands of young humanitarians at the country's premier music festival were chanting for 'death', in scenes reminiscent of mass rallies in Tehran or Sanaa, beamed into the homes of millions by the national broadcaster. None of this should have come as a surprise. Bob Vylan has apparently engaged in this kind of behaviour before, and Glastonbury was already taking place under a cloud of controversy that it had courted by inviting soon-to-be-proscribed-as-terrorists Palestine Action to address the crowds and Kneecap to headline. The Prime Minister had warned that the Kneecapper on trial for allegedly supporting terrorists 'shouldn't' be allowed to play, and the BBC – which had to pull a documentary after it emerged that a senior Hamas member's family had been paid for assistance in its production – said it 'probably' would not broadcast Kneecap's performance. But none of this prevented Bob Vylan's rant about having to 'work for Zionists', chants for 'death' and the obliteration of the entire Jewish state 'from the River to the Sea' from appearing on screens in living rooms across the country, courtesy of the supposedly genteel and tolerant BBC. Now of course, everyone is taken aback. Glastonbury's managing dynasty, fronted by Emily Eavis, is 'appalled' that the acts they chose so carefully behaved in this manner. The BBC says that the whole thing was 'utterly unacceptable' and Ofcom is 'very concerned'. Just another set of rapped knuckles and feigned surprise, but this is far bigger than that. I have fought for over ten years alongside valiant, patriotic people, as Campaign Against Antisemitism has strained to wake up our countrymen to the radicals brainwashing their children and the toxic extremism taking over our institutions. We will continue to fight on, but for me, personally, this is the moment that the country that I grew up in ceased to exist. To my mind, the fight now is to restore something that we have lost, not to protect something still extant. Once tolerant and decent Britain is a place where incitement to riot over Southport will rightly result in the full force of the law being brought to bear, while you can stand on a stage at Glastonbury and lead scenes reminiscent of a Nuremberg rally without facing much more than expressions of disapproval. British justice, once famed around the world, is used to arrest counterprotesters like Mark Birbeck and Niyak Ghorbani standing up with signs saying 'Hamas are terrorists' lest they provoke the ire of racists and bigots nearby. Campaign Against Antisemitism's billboard vans showing the faces of children kidnapped and taken hostage by Hamas were shut down and ordered to leave London by police in case they caused offence to Hamas supporters in the capital. When I tried crossing the road at the weekly marches that spew hatred on our streets, I was stopped not by protesters but by the police for being 'quite openly Jewish', and then attacked in the media by commentators wondering what business a Jew had being in town anyway and what my motives were for having the audacity to walk anywhere in my home town that I please. This country has lost its soul and lost the plot, and there is not a lot of time left to do something about it. If you find that over the top, ask yourself this. Had Glastonbury – where people are apparently more concerned about cows being milked for human benefit than about calls for certain humans to be killed – platformed acts bemoaning having to work for black people or calling for the obliteration of a Muslim state what would have happened? How about if they presented artists who have supported the BNP or EDL? Reputable musicians would have boycotted Glastonbury. The BBC would have cut its live feed, apologised and pledged never to broadcast the festival again. The Prime Minister would have reassured anyone affected and talked about the underlying causes. Police forces would have mobilised officers while Crown Prosecutors cleared their schedules. But instead it was just another weekend in Britain. While the scenes at Glastonbury unfolded, taxpayer-supported broadcaster, Channel 4, announced plans to air a film that the national broadcaster, the BBC, shelved because it worried that it might be too biased towards Hamas. A regulated law firm announced that it would dedicate itself to removing the proscription on Hamas as a terrorist group. Just another weekend in Britain. Like all the weekends we've seen for over a year and half now. But not for me. Not for most Jews. And not for many of my fellow citizens who are not Jewish, but who see that the country they knew is vanishing before their very eyes. Moral clarity came from the US, where it has been made known that neither Kneecap nor Bob Vylan will be granted entry – 'Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country,' said the State Department. Of course they remain adored by their self-righteous, brainwashed young fans here in Britain – a country that is not just becoming unsafe for Jews, it is becoming a haven for hatred. This must be the moment that the country wakes up. That means each of us. Demand action. Use your voice. Please, before there is nothing left to save.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Ministers launch review of UK parental leave and pay to ‘reset system'
Ministers have launched a review of parental leave and pay as Labour considers ways to make paternity leave and unpaid parental leave day-one rights. Jonathan Reynolds, the business secretary, said the government had heard campaigners' concerns, and accepted the current system was not working for young families. Officials will assess the entire system for supporting new parents to take time off work when they have a baby, including shared maternity and paternity leave. Maternity leave is paid at 90% of a mother's average weekly earnings for the first six weeks, then for the next 33 weeks, whichever is lower of that 90% figure or £187.18 a week. New fathers can take two weeks' paid leave at a rate of either £187.18 a week or 90% of average weekly earnings, whichever is lowest. Officials hope to increase the take-up of shared parental leave, which allows a couple to share up to 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of paid leave between them. Reynolds has signalled plans to simplify the system for parents and employers, and stressed businesses would not face extra burdens. 'The arrival of a child, whether through birth or adoption, is a life-changing moment,' the business secretary said. 'We want to make sure parents get the support they need to balance work and family life. Campaigners have long called for change, and this government has listened. This review is our chance to reset the system and build something that works for modern families and businesses.' It comes after hundreds of fathers took to the streets of London and Edinburgh last month to demand better paternity leave. The London protest took place outside the Department for Business and Trade, as demonstrators said better paternity leave would help close the gender pay gap by helping families share childcare and thereby making it less likely new mothers would have to take career breaks or go part-time. Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister, said: 'Those early years are the most special time for families, but too many struggle to balance their work and home lives. Supporting working parents isn't just the right thing to do – it's vital for our economy. 'Through our plan to make work pay, we're already improving the parental leave system with new day-one rights. This ambitious review will leave no stone unturned as we deliver for working families.' Officials say millions of families could benefit from a better start for their children, given that one in three fathers do not take paternity leave because they cannot afford to, and the take-up of shared parental leave remains very low. Sign up to Headlines UK Get the day's headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion The review comes after the education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, urged people to consider having more children – and have them sooner – as she warned of the 'worrying repercussions' created by a decline in birthrates. Phillipson told the Daily Telegraph that people were scared of having children because of the high costs and she wanted 'more young people to have children, if they so choose'. Months ago, the education secretary said young women had been given added 'freedom' to have more children by expanded government-funded childcare.
Powys County Times
an hour ago
- Powys County Times
Welfare rebellion looms for Starmer despite concessions to Labour rebels
Sir Keir Starmer continues to face the prospect of a major rebellion over his welfare cuts despite making concessions to disgruntled Labour MPs. Ministers hope a partial U-turn will be enough to win over Labour rebels when MPs vote on welfare changes on Tuesday. The concessions included protecting people claiming personal independence payment (Pip) from changes due to come into effect in November 2026, and rowing back plans to cut the health-related element of universal credit. But backbench anger has continued to simmer, with a statement from Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall laying out the concessions on Monday receiving a negative response. Asked whether he was 'confident' that the concessions had done enough to secure passage of the Universal Credit and Personal Independent Payment Bill, disabilities minister Sir Stephen Timms would only tell Sky News: 'I certainly hope it passes.' Some 126 Labour MPs had previously signed a 'reasoned amendment' proposed by Treasury Committee chairwoman Dame Meg Hillier that would have stopped the legislation if approved. That rebellion appeared to have been averted after Dame Meg described concessions agreed on Friday as a 'workable compromise'. But in the Commons on Monday, she was one of several senior Labour figures to raise concerns about the Government's revised proposals, while another MP involved in negotiations, Debbie Abrahams, suggested ministers had rowed back on what had been agreed. A second amendment rejecting the Bill has been put forward by York Central MP Rachael Maskell with the backing of 138 disability groups, saying disabled people had 'yet to have agency in this process'. Ms Maskell's amendment is reported to have been signed by only around 35 Labour MPs – far fewer than the 83 needed to overturn Sir Keir's majority, but enough to deliver the largest rebellion of his premiership just before the first anniversary of Labour's election victory. Other sceptical MPs are expected to abstain on Tuesday, but could vote against the Bill next week if there are no further concessions. One of the chief concerns revolves around a review of Pip to be carried out by Sir Stephen and 'co-produced' with disabled people. His review is not expected to report until autumn next year, making it difficult to incorporate his findings into the Pip changes due to take place at the same time. Ms Abrahams suggested the timing meant the outcome of the review was 'pre-determined', while Sarah Owen, another select committee chairwoman, warned it could create a 'three-tier' benefit system. Groups including Disability Rights UK and Disabled People Against Cuts criticised the Government's claim that Sir Stephen's review would be 'co-produced' with them and urged Labour rebels to stand firm. They said: 'The Government have made it very clear that they are intent on slashing the support that so many disabled people rely on to work and live independently, no matter how many disabled people tell them what a harmful policy this will be.' Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said her party's MPs would vote against the proposals, describing them as 'not serious welfare reform' and saying ministers had 'watered down the small savings Labour were making'. The original proposals were expected to save £4.8 billion by 2030, but Ms Kendall revealed on Monday that the revised proposals were likely to save less than half that figure.
