Martin Bashir news - live: PM says BBC must never repeat scandal as police consider criminal probe
Follow the latest on the fallout after an inquiry found ‘serious’ breaches were committed in the BBC’s explosive 1995 interview with Princess Diana
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Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he is “very concerned” by Lord Dyson’s report finding major failings in the BBC’s handling of Martin Bashir’s explosive 1995 Panorama interview with Diana, Princess of Wales.
The PM said he hopes the BBC “will be taking every possible step” to ensure that such a scandal never “ever happens again”.
His comments come as Scotland Yard has vowed to “assess the contents” of the report, which accused the BBC of covering up “deceitful behaviour” by Mr Bashir, who had fake bank statements created to mislead Diana’s brother, Earl Spencer, and gain access to the princess of Wales.
Previously, police had decided against pursuing a criminal investigation into the controversy. However, now they say they will review the report “to ensure there is no significant new evidence”.
Meanwhile, both Prince William and Harry have condemned the BBC over the independent inquiry’s findings, with the elder brother saying he believed the interview fed directly into the “fear, paranoia and isolation” his mother endured in her final years, while, Harry said that he believed it was “the ripple effect of a culture of exploitation and unethical practices” that ultimately took Diana’s life.
- Prince William launches scathing attack on BBC ‘lies’ over Bashir’s Diana interview
- Martin Bashir: Who is the BBC journalist at the centre of the Princess Diana interview scandal?
- Princess Diana: Why is controversial Martin Bashir interview being investigated?
- Prince Harry used alcohol and drugs to 'mask' feelings after his mother's death
‘They let my mother down’: William and Harry’s full statements on BBC’s Diana interview
Prince William and Harry have both struck out at the BBC after an independent inquiry found that “deceitful behaviour” was used to secure the broadcaster’s explosive 1995 interview with their mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.
William said he was left feeling “indescribable sadness” after the report’s revelations came to light. He further blamed the BBC for having “contributed significantly” to his mother’s “fear” and “paranoia” in the final years of her life.
Meanwhile, Harry has praised his mother as “incredible”, but said the “ripple effect of a culture of exploitation and unethical practices ultimately took her life”.
See William and Harry’s responses to the Dyson inquiry in full:
‘They let my mother down’: William and Harry’s BBC statements in full
Prince William blasts BBC ‘lies’ and ‘incompetence’ after damning report into Martin Bashir’s deceit
BBC Panorama incident ‘should never happen again’, Buckland says
Justice Secretary Robert Buckland has said it is “incumbent upon everybody” to make sure the 1995 BBC Panorama incident never happens again.
Appearing on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the Lord Chancellor was asked if the Government would use the story as an “excuse” to “tackle the BBC”.
“I don’t think anybody should be using this very serious set of revelations as an excuse to do or not do anything,” he replied.
“The facts, sadly, speak very much for themselves.
“We’ve heard the reaction of the family and I think it’s incumbent upon everybody to soberly and calmly go through what has happened here, and to make appropriate changes in order to ensure that this sort of thing can never and should never happen again,” he said.
BBC Panorama incident ‘should never happen again’, Buckland says
Justice Secretary Robert Buckland has said it is “incumbent upon everybody” to make sure the 1995 BBC Panorama incident never happens again.
Appearing on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the Lord Chancellor was asked if the Government would use the story as an “excuse” to “tackle the BBC”.
“I don’t think anybody should be using this very serious set of revelations as an excuse to do or not do anything,” he replied.
“The facts, sadly, speak very much for themselves.
“We’ve heard the reaction of the family and I think it’s incumbent upon everybody to soberly and calmly go through what has happened here, and to make appropriate changes in order to ensure that this sort of thing can never and should never happen again,” he said.
Minister threatens fresh BBC shake-up after ‘deceitful’ Diana interview condemned by inquiry
The BBC could be due for a fresh shake-up, following Lord Dyson’s report detailing Martin Bashir’s “deceitful behaviour” in securing the broadcaster’s explosive 1995 interview with Diana, Princess of Wales, culture secretary Oliver Dowden has warned.
Mr Dowden condemned the “damning failings at the heart of the BBC” and pointed to a review of the Corporation which is already set to start next year.
“We will now reflect on Lord Dyson’s thorough report and consider whether further governance reforms at the BBC are needed in the mid-term Charter review,” he tweeted.
Read more:
Minister threatens fresh BBC shake-up after ‘deceitful’ Diana interview
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden attacks ‘damning failings at the heart of the BBC’ adding ‘We will now reflect on Lord Dyson’s thorough report’
Scotland Yard to ‘assess’ contents of Dyson report
Scotland Yard has said it will "assess the contents" of Lord Dyson’s report finding failings in the BBC’s handling of Martin Bashir's explosive 1995 Panorama interview with Diana, Princess of Wales "to ensure there is no significant new evidence".
In a statement, it said: "In March 2021, the MPS determined it was not appropriate to begin a criminal investigation into allegations of unlawful activity in connection with a documentary broadcast in 1995 but should any significant new evidence emerge it would be assessed.
"Following the publication of Lord Dyson's report we will assess its contents to ensure there is no significant new evidence."
Ministers will look into whether BBC governance issues need review, Lord Chancellor says
Robert Buckland has said ministers will look into whether there were BBC governance issues outside of the remit of Lord Dyson’s inquiry that need to be reviewed.
Speaking on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, the justice secretary said: “My colleague the Culture Secretary, Oliver Dowden, has rightly said that we should look at the governance structures of the BBC.”
“We will take time to do that - the report that Lord Dyson issued yesterday is 127 pages long, so that needs to be looked at very carefully,” he said.
“And there may be issues that Lord Dyson wasn’t asked to cover that need to be looked at more widely, so it is a very serious moment for the BBC.”
The broadcaster, he said, has “apologised, which is appropriate”. However, he said, “clearly the wider issues of governance and the way things are run now need to be looked at”.
Prince Harry says he used alcohol and drugs to cope after mother’s death
Prince Harry has said he turned to alcohol and drugs to cope with his poor mental health following the death of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.
In his new mental health documentary series, The Me You Can’t See, with Oprah Winfrey, the Duke of Sussex opens up about his struggles.
In the first episode of the docuseries, Harry describes what the years following the death of his mother were like.
Sophie Gallagher has more:
Prince Harry says he used drink and drugs to cope with trauma of Diana’s death
‘I was willing to drink, I was willing to take drugs, I was willing to do the things that made me feel less like I was feeling,’ said Harry
Lord Chancellor says BBC interview 'might not have happened’ if ‘standards’ had been met
Justice Secretary Robert Buckland has said that the BBC’s controversial 1995 interview with the Princess of Wales “perhaps might not have happened” had “very high standards” been adhered to at the time.
Speaking to LBC radio, the Lord Chancellor was asked whether he believed the “corrupt interview” or “25-year-cover-up was worse”.
“Well, I think a lot of us will often say that sometimes the cover-up is worse than the crime,” he said.
“Having listened to both the Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex, you are struck I think by, at a family level, the sense of tragedy and loss that comes through in their statements,” he said.
“Let’s just imagine it was any family, not the royal family - I think we should be just as indignant and concerned if somebody who was vulnerable was inveigled into giving an interview that perhaps might not have happened if standards of probity and honesty had been maintained.
“And then of course it is compounded by, as you described, a cover-up or a failure to put right and to apply the very high standards that have got to apply to a public service broadcaster like the BBC.”
Lord Chancellor says forging of fake bank statements ‘hugely serious’
The Lord Chancellor has said that BBC journalist Martin Bashir’s use of fake bank statements to help secure the broadcaster’s explosive 1995 interview with Princess Diana was “hugely serious”.
Asked on LBC whether Mr Bashir may have committed “fraud” by using the fake statements to gain access to Diana, Justice Secretary Robert Buckland told LBC radio the incident was “hugely serious”.
“I think looking at the findings of Lord Dyson, there are clearly some very serious issues arise,” he said.
“I’m not going to comment on whether criminal offences have been committed here - I think that is a matter for the police and the investigating authorities,” he asserted. “You wouldn’t expect me to opine about that.”
“But I’m sure you’ve looked, like me, at the executive summary, it is a 127-page report and you see some of the words being used there - about false documents, forgery etcetera - these are hugely serious matters that don’t just raise questions about the individuals and the journalists involved but also the senior leadership, sadly, who made decisions that Lord Dyson has I think rightly scrutinised and has found to be wrong,” he said. “So there is a lot of work for the BBC to do in order to make good what happened here.”
Graphic designer who mocked up fake documents to fool Diana’s brother says he is owed apology
Matt Wiessler, the graphic designer who was commissioned by journalist Martin Bashir to mock up fake documents to gain the trust of Princess Diana’s brother, has said he believes he is owed an apology over the incident.
Speaking with BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he said he believed there is “still a level of arrogance, from everybody (including) the BBC management.”
“Why has Tony Hall not apologise to me? John Bird was in charge of that ship at the time - he’s gone unnoticed in all of this. I’m just gobsmacked.”
“It is a sign of strength if you come forward and you admit to having done something wrong. Nobody has come forward,” Mr Wiessler said.
“It’s just really weak, calculating, and quite honestly, after 25 years, it’s nasty what they are doing to this day,” he said.
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