BBC Board Member Shumeet Banerji resigns

His resignation follows the departure of Tim Davie, Director General of the BBC, and Tim Davie, CEO of BBC News, earlier this month, over a Panorama edit of a speech by President Donald Trump.

Banerji said in a letter that he was "not consulted" about the events leading up to the departures of Davie and Turness.

The BBC reported that Banerji’s decision to blame governance issues at the organisation appears to be a direct criticism of Samir Shah, Chairman of the BBC, and other members of the board.

Banerji, a non-executive board member since 2022, is the founder of Condorcet LP, an advisory and investment firm focused on early- and development-stage technology companies. He previously led Booz & Company, the management consultancy firm.

The BBC’s 12-member board is responsible for setting the corporation’s strategic direction and ensuring it delivers on its public service mission.

Trump has threatened to sue over the programme, saying it defamed him.

The BBC apologised earlier this month for how Panorama edited the footage of Trump's speech, but said there was no legal basis for him to sue for defamation.

The controversy stems from the way Trump's 6 January 2021 speech was edited by Panorama for a documentary, which aired in October 2024. During his address, he told supporters: "We're going to walk down to the Capitol, and we're going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women."

More than 50 minutes later in the speech, he said: "And we fight. We fight like hell."

In the Panorama programme, the clip shows him as saying: "We're going to walk down to the Capitol... and I'll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell."

US President Donald Trump recently said he will sue the BBC, despite the corporation apologising to him for how one of his speeches was edited by Panorama. Discover more here.