Latest news with #establishment
Bloomberg
11 hours ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
The White House Puts Pakistan's Elite Back on Top
Pakistan's military, which exercises effective control over that the nuclear-armed country, has an enviable tendency to land on its feet even after a crisis. The country may be facing an economic predicament, and recently endured a confrontation with India in which the weaknesses in its defenses were laid bare, but the 'establishment,' as the euphemism goes, has emerged stronger for it. That is thanks, in large part, to President Donald Trump.
Times
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Times
BBC admits lapse over discussion of Prince Harry interview
The BBC has admitted to a 'lapse' in its editorial standards for failing to reflect the views of Buckingham Palace and the government when it discussed its Prince Harry interview on the Today programme. The issue arose in the Saturday edition of the flagship Radio 4 programme, which aired the day after the Duke of Sussex had told the corporation in a television interview that he was the victim of a 'a good old-fashioned establishment stitch-up'. The claims were repeated during the interview with Richard Aitch, a former close protection officer, but were not 'properly challenged' by the presenter. 'I think Prince Harry has nailed it … it is an establishment stitch-up. It's clear that the entire process had been caught up in emotion and appears to be nothing other than spite from the royal household,' Aitch said. 'It's retributive justice for Megxit, not any balanced, formalised approach to assessment of threats and risks.' On its corrections and clarifications website, the BBC admitted that it was remiss in not including the government's view in its report. 'This case is ultimately the responsibility of the Home Office and we should have reflected their statement,' it said. It also noted that Today had failed to reflect Buckingham Palace's response. In his interview with the BBC Harry addressed losing his final appeal to maintain his right to taxpayer-funded police security when he is in the UK. The Home Office said: 'We are pleased that the court has found in favour of the government's position in this case. The UK government's protective security system is rigorous and proportionate. It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals' security.' Harry also appeared to blame both the King and the former Conservative government for stripping him of his police protection. 'There is a lot of control and ability in my father's hands,' he said. 'Ultimately, this whole thing could be resolved through him. Not necessarily by intervening, but by stepping aside, allowing the experts to do what is necessary.' In a statement responding to the interview a Buckingham Palace spokesman said: ''All of these issues have been examined repeatedly and meticulously by the courts, with the same conclusion reached on each occasion.' Aitch, who now works in the private security sector, reiterated the comments he made during his interview. 'There should not be any need [for the BBC] to apologise for opinion-based interviews,' he posted on X. 'Absence of a threat and risk assessment on Prince Harry, where the focus is on legal process influenced by the recommendations of a committee that is not independent, defines 'stitch-up'.'
The Guardian
06-05-2025
- The Guardian
BBC admits lapse in standards around coverage of Prince Harry interview
The BBC has admitted to 'a lapse in our usual high editorial standards' over its coverage on Radio 4's Today programme of the broadcaster's recent interview with the Duke of Sussex. The admission came after it failed to include responses from the Home Office and Buckingham Palace to allegations made by the duke. Prince Harry gave an interview to BBC News on Friday in response to the court of appeal's dismissal of his case over security arrangements for him and his family while in the UK. On Saturday, the Today programme covered the duke's interview in which he described his court defeat as a 'good old-fashioned establishment stitch-up'. The programme also had an interview with the close protection expert Richard Aitch, where Harry's 'stitch-up' claims were 'repeated', the BBC said. On its Corrections and Clarifications website, the BBC said on Tuesday: 'The programme covered the latest developments in the story of Prince Harry and his legal case around protection for him and his family in the UK and interviewed former close protection officer Richard Aitch to get a broader understanding of security considerations. 'Claims were repeated that the process had been 'an establishment stitch-up' and we failed to properly challenge this and other allegations. This case is ultimately the responsibility of the Home Office and we should have reflected their statement,' it said. The BBC then included the Home Office statement: 'We are pleased that the court has found in favour of the government's position in this case. The UK government's protective security system is rigorous and proportionate. It is our longstanding policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals' security.' The broadcaster said it should also have given the view of Buckingham Palace. The palace statement after Friday's ruling read: 'All of these issues have been examined repeatedly and meticulously by the courts, with the same conclusion reached on each occasion.' The BBC added: 'This was a lapse in our usual high editorial standards.' During the Today interview, Aitch, who is the director of operations at security services company Mobius International, said he 'was shocked but certainly not surprised' at the judgment. He claimed that the 'provision of protection should not be based on legal argument', but on assessment of 'risk and threat against Harry' and agreed that it had been a 'stitch-up'. Posting on X after the BBC clarification, Aitch said: 'There should not be any need to apologise BBC News for opinion-based interviews. Absence of a threat and risk assessment on Prince Harry where the focus is on legal process influenced by the recommendations of a committee that is not independent, it defines 'stitch up'.'
