Bectu calls for removal of Robbie Gibb from BBC Board

Following the resignation of Tim Davie from the BBC, Bectu has written to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy and Chair of the BBC Board Samir Shah, demanding the removal of Robbie Gibb from the BBC Board.

Many BBC staff are concerned that Gibb is a direct block to the BBC maintaining its chartered objective of independence.

With the corporation’s forthcoming Charter Review, staff must feel confident in both the government and the board’s commitment to its future, its mission, and its independence.

The letter says:

“Recent events have heightened the concerns of Bectu members about the direction of the BBC and its future. Staff are concerned about the forthcoming Charter Review amid open speculation about the future funding model. They are unsurprisingly anxious about entering this process with a vacuum of leadership and without a new Director General in place. And they are concerned about the BBC’s ability to resist partisan political pressure and uphold the integrity of its journalism. 

“It is vital that staff feel that both the government and the BBC board are truly committed to the future of the organisation, its mission, its independence and its values. Given this, we believe that the position of Sir Robbie Gibb on the BBC board has become a distraction and is untenable. We simply do not see how staff can have faith in the BBC’s leadership while a crucial position on the board is filled by someone perceived by many staff and external commentators as sympathetic to, or actively part of, a campaign to undermine the BBC and influence its political impartiality.” 

Philippa Childs, Head of Bectu, said: 

“This is a critical period for the BBC as it enters Charter renewal. It would be folly to navigate it with both a vacuum at the top and a board member who is widely viewed as divisive and damaging.

“The Culture Secretary has been very clear in her support for the BBC and its independence. It is time for her to demonstrate that by acting now to ensure the most impartial board possible for the organisation – that means Robbie Gibb has to go.

“Our members have worked incredibly hard to deliver high quality content at a time of cuts and redundancies. They are critical to the delivery of the BBC’s mission and the government must listen to their concerns regarding Gibb’s suitability, to ensure a BBC fit for the next decade and beyond.”