Latest news with #LisaNandy
Arab News
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Arab News
TV director accuses UK culture secretary of ‘bullying' BBC over Gaza coverage
LONDON: Acclaimed TV director Peter Kosminsky has accused UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy of attempting to 'bully' the BBC over its coverage of the Gaza conflict. In a strongly worded letter, Kosminsky — known for the BBC historical drama 'Wolf Hall' — likened the government's actions to those of a 'tinpot dictatorship' and warned against sustained pressure on BBC Director General Tim Davie. 'Could I respectfully suggest that you stop trying to bully the BBC, the nation's primary public service broadcaster, over its coverage of the war in Gaza,' wrote Kosminsky in the letter, reported by The Guardian. He argued that politicians should not 'police the individual editorial decisions of the BBC,' stressing the broadcaster must, above all, maintain public trust. His letter echoed warnings from veteran BBC figure Richard Ayre, who described Nandy's direct intervention as 'outrageous.' Nandy has been a vocal critic of the BBC, pressuring the broadcaster to withdraw its Gaza documentary 'How To Survive a Warzone' after it emerged the young narrator was the son of a Hamas official. She also criticized the broadcasting of a Glastonbury Festival segment featuring the punk-rap duo Bob Vylan chanting anti-IDF slogans. 'For its part, the BBC must ensure that its output is balanced. But this means balanced across the totality of its output,' said Kosminsky, cautioning that past conflicts between government and BBC had ended tragically and citing the death of weapons expert Dr David Kelly in 2003. Meanwhile, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has acknowledged recent 'serious failures' at the BBC but framed Nandy's criticism as justified accountability on behalf of license-fee payers. A spokesperson reiterated that editorial independence remained paramount. The controversy comes amid crucial discussions over the BBC's future funding and charter renewal, adding further pressure on its leadership — particularly Davie, who faces mounting scrutiny and internal dissatisfaction over perceived lapses in impartiality and editorial oversight.
The Guardian
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Lisa Nandy trying to bully BBC over its Gaza coverage, says Wolf Hall director
One of television's most prominent directors has accused the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, of attempting to 'bully the BBC' over its coverage of Gaza, following her repeated attacks on its director general, Tim Davie. Peter Kosminsky, the writer and director of the BBC drama Wolf Hall, claimed the government was acting like a 'tinpot dictatorship' in heaping political pressure on Davie. In his letter, seen by the Guardian, Kosminksy cited the 'ignominious history' of political interference in the BBC. He evoked the death of Dr David Kelly, the government weapons expert, who died in 2003 shortly after being revealed as the source for a BBC story stating the government 'probably knew' a claim about Iraq's weapons capabilities was not true. 'Could I respectfully suggest that you stop trying to bully the BBC, the nation's primary public service broadcaster, over its coverage of the war in Gaza,' wrote Kosminsky, who made a docu drama about Kelly's death in 2005. 'The last time Labour was in power, it picked a public fight with the BBC over an editorial matter. It didn't end well for either party and a man – David Kelly – tragically died. 'I have been a Labour supporter for most of my life. It gives me no pleasure to watch this government behaving like a tinpot dictatorship, trying to pressurise a broadcaster for which it holds the purse strings. You are the current custodians of the 100-year tradition of public service broadcasting in this country. This is not the way to discharge that obligation.' Nandy has repeatedly criticised the BBC over a Gaza documentary that failed to disclose that its child narrator was the son of a Hamas official. She also criticised its livestreaming of the punk rap group Bob Vylan at the Glastonbury festival. Bobby Vylan, whose real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, was shown leading chants of 'death, death to the IDF', referring to the Israel Defense Forces. Nandy personally targeted Davie in the House of Commons, warning of 'a problem of leadership'. She then gave an interview questioning why no one had been fired over the failings. Kosminksy warned Nandy about the historical precedent of political interference, pointing to the Thatcher government's attempt to pull a 1985 documentary about Northern Ireland. 'It is not the government's job or responsibility to police the individual editorial decisions of the BBC, or to call for the sacking of its editorial staff,' he wrote. 'For its part, the BBC must ensure that its output is balanced. But this means balanced across the totality of its output. 'As a programme maker with 45 years' experience of making controversial programmes – for all our public service broadcasters – I know it is impossible to completely balance all arguments within every individual programme. Sometimes it is a programme's responsibility to ask awkward questions, to raise hackles.' The strength of Nandy's attacks has been noted by others. Richard Ayre, a former controller of editorial policy and deputy chief executive of BBC News, said last week it was 'outrageous that the secretary of state lifts the phone and demands answers from the director general'. 'Maybe she'll start lifting the phone, asking for answers from the editor of individual programmes,' he told the Beeb Watch podcast. 'Governance is important. Parliament has put in place governance procedures to govern the BBC independently and fairly – and it shouldn't be governed by politicians.' Supporters of the BBC are concerned the corporation is running out of allies as it enters crucial talks over the renewal of its charter with the government. After a series of recent crises, Davie said last week he remained the right person to lead the broadcaster. A Department for Culture, Media and Sport spokesperson said: 'There have been a number of serious failures at the BBC in recent months. The secretary of state has raised these on behalf of licence fee payers who rightly expect action to be taken so that these cannot happen again. 'The BBC is operationally and editorially independent of government, and we will always defend this principle. However, there is an important distinction between being independent and being accountable.'
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Lisa Nandy explains how new regulator will 'end the misery of so many football fans'
The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport says the new Football Governance Bill will 'put supporters back at the heart of the game' and safeguard the future of clubs up and down the pyramid As a Manchester-born Wigan Athletic fan, it is hardly surprising that Lisa Nandy is as plain-speaking a Member of Parliament as you are likely to find. But the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport is also adept at couching strong messages in political, even diplomatic, words. As the Football Governance Bill became law, Nandy spoke to Mirror Sport about the wide-ranging implications which will be felt throughout the game, including at the very top. The new independent regulator's remit is extensive but dealing with the impasse between the Premier League and the English Football League (EFL) will feature prominently. Over a year ago, a proposal that would have seen the Premier League give the EFL £900million over six years was shelved. And the two parties have not even suggested an agreement has been close since then. 'The Premier League and the EFL have not been able to reach an agreement for years now - the regulator will work with them to try to get an agreement,' says Nandy. 'The regulator is a backstop. "The bill incentivises football to come to its own agreement by creating this backstop … which we hope will never need to be used. But if an agreement cannot be reached, the regulator will be able to take a view about what the right financial distribution is and will be able to enforce that.' So, reading between the lines of the political parlance, the message to the Premier League is to get it sorted soon or the regulator - almost certain to be former sports media rights specialist David Kogan - will sort it for you. Perhaps that is why the Premier League was, at best, sceptical of the introduction of a regulator and, at worst, downright horrified by the move. But Nandy insists that while the regulator will, if needed, be able to impose a financial settlement of the Premier League-EFL stand-off, she says the Act will not mean top flight clubs being told what they can and cannot charge fans for tickets. The clubs will, though, be compelled to speak to supporters before making any decisions that significantly affect the fanbase. Nandy says: 'Some clubs are very good at consulting with fans, some are not. There is now protection in law for key club heritage aspects like shirt colours, club badges, stadium moves - a new standard for fan engagement.' While the passing of the Football Governance Bill might not have gone down well with the Premier League, it has been heartily welcomed by the EFL. And Nandy is keen to stress that the main purpose of the bill is to protect and help ALL clubs in the football pyramid. She says: 'The Premier League is the model of how you lead the world when it comes to football but, beneath that, the foundations of football are incredibly fragile. From grassroots to the National League to the Championship, we've got to make sure we protect the foundations of football. 'I was very rude to the EFL when my club's (Wigan Athletic's) ownership was transferred to somebody who then put us straight unto administration. But the truth is that the power to intervene at that stage and block it simply did not exist. "Well, it does now. Finally, the misery of so many football fans is going to end. Up and down the length and breadth of the country, fans have had to deal with the misery of poor ownership, lack of oversight, financial irregularities and football not being able to come together to get its own house in order. "The time is long overdue for this. We made a promise that we would put fans back at the heart of the game where they belong and I'm delighted we have kept that promise.'
Sky News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News
Watchdog must fine social media companies that are slow to remove racism after Jess Carter abuse, says culture secretary
The online safety regulator should use powers to fine social media companies that are not quickly removing racism, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told Sky News, after concerns were raised by England defender Jess Carter. Carter has declared herself ready to play in the Women's European Championship semi-final against Italy on Tuesday after speaking out on the hate she has faced online during the tournament. Players have expressed frustration they are having to use their platform to pressure the tech firms, given how often footballers have had to deal with racist abuse. There is now the Online Safety Act which should be compelling the companies to take action. "We've introduced new laws so that platforms are under a legal obligation to take down that sort of disgusting content immediately," Ms Nandy told Sky News. "And they can be pursued through fines, through Ofcom, if they don't do it. "It's now up to those platforms and up to Ofcom to fulfil those roles that we've given them and make sure that this is stamped out online, that it's dealt with very quickly." But Kick It Out chairman Sanjay Bhandari told Sky News on Sunday that "it's got worse on social media, not better" - singling out Elon Musk's X and Mark Zuckerberg's Instagram. Neither of the companies has responded to requests for comment, including via a public X post. England defender Lucy Bronze said "online abuse is getting worse and worse" in women's football. Ms Nandy said: "The racial abuse that's been directed at Jess Carter is utterly disgusting and unfortunately is too common for women at the top of their game, not just in football but across sport as a whole. "We're considering as a government what more we can do to protect women players who reach those levels of exposure." The government has made dealing with sports issues a priority, with legislation passed today to introduce an independent regulator for men's football. The watchdog aims to ensure clubs are run sustainably and are accountable to their fans. Ms Nandy said: "There are now protections in law for fans and for clubs to make sure that we have really fit and proper owners; that there is somebody who can tackle rogue owners when problems arise, that we get a proper financial flow to ensure the sustainability of clubs throughout the football pyramid and to make that fans are put back at the heart of the game where they belong." The Premier League remains concerned the regulator could harm the success of its competition through unintended consequences.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Football supporters now have a bigger say in how their clubs are run
The Football Governance Act has officially become UK law after receiving royal assent, establishing an independent regulator for English football. This landmark legislation introduces a watchdog for the top five tiers of the men's game, aiming to ensure clubs are run sustainably and are accountable to their supporters. The new regulator will possess 'backstop' powers to impose financial settlements between the English Football League (EFL) and the Premier League if they fail to reach an agreement. The Act's journey to law was prompted by the attempted European Super League breakaway and numerous instances of clubs facing financial distress and mismanagement. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy highlighted that the Act delivers on promises to fans, protecting cherished clubs and their vital role in communities.
