Sir Cliff Richard's statement on suing the BBC and South Yorkshire Police 'for £1m' in full

Cliff Richard (Getty)

Sir Cliff Richard has confirmed plans to sue the BBC and South Yorkshire police over live coverage of a police raid at his home.

Here is his statement in full:

“I confirm that I have instructed my lawyers to make formal legal complaints to South Yorkshire Police and the BBC so that in the absence of satisfactory answers a Court will determine whether or not their behaviour was justified and proportionate. It is important not only for me personally but much more widely. My life was effectively turned upside down and my reputation, worldwide, was unnecessarily damaged. I would not want the same to happen to others whether in the public eye or not.

“Whilst the police of course need to properly investigate allegations made to them, it is clear to me that questions need to be answered by both the police and the BBC about their initial handling of my matter, which has rightly been condemned from so many quarters, including the Home Affairs Select Committee, the broader Press, and, even the Police themselves.

“I chose not to comment during the active investigation for obvious reasons, but having suffered the experience that I have, I firmly believe that privacy should be respected and that police guidelines are there to be followed. That means that save in exceptional circumstances people should never be named unless and until they are charged. As everybody has accepted there were no such ‘exceptional circumstances’ in my case.”

The BBC declined to comment any further than the statement they gave in June, which is also in full below:

“The BBC is very sorry that Sir Cliff Richard, who has worked as a musician and performer for so many years with the organisation, has suffered distress.

“The BBC’s responsibility is to report fully stories that are in the public interest. Police investigations into prominent figures in public life are, of course, squarely in the public interest, which is why they have been reported by all news organisations in this country.

“Once the South Yorkshire Police had confirmed the investigation and Sir Cliff Richard's identity and informed the BBC of the timing and details of the search of his property, it would neither have been editorially responsible nor in the public interest to choose not to report fully the investigation into Sir Cliff Richard because of his public profile.

“The BBC, at every stage, reported Sir Cliff’s full denial of the allegations.

“The BBC, therefore, stands by the decision to report the investigation undertaken by the South Yorkshire Police and the search of his property.

“Sir Cliff has made the argument that the identity of people under investigation into historic allegations should not be made public until they are charged. This view raises significant questions about the scrutiny of the Police and public confidence that allegations are investigated. That said, we respect the fact that he is making an important statement in the debate over balancing privacy rights with the public interest. Ultimately, though, deciding whether people should remain anonymous while the subject of a Police investigation is a matter for Parliament.

“The Home Affairs Select Committee reviewed the editorial decisions made by the BBC and concluded, 'we see nothing wrong in their decision to run the story'.”

South Yorkshire Police declined to comment.