BBC board member quits over ‘governance issues’ at broadcaster

Shumeet Banerji announced his resignation on Friday

A BBC board member has resigned, citing “governance issues”, as the broadcaster faces a tumultuous period of leadership changes.

Shumeet Banerji, who has held the position since 2022, confirmed his resignation on Friday.

He said in a letter that he was “not consulted” about the events leading up to the resignations of the director general, Tim Davie, and BBC News chief executive, Deborah Turness.

A BBC spokesperson said: “Shumeet Banerji today notified the BBC board of his resignation. Mr Banerji’s term on the board as a non-executive director was due to end at the end of December and we thank him for his service.

“The search for a replacement is already well underway and we will update further in due course.”

Shumeet Banerji’s term was due to end in December (BBC)

Mr Banerji is the founder of Condorcet, an advisory and investment firm focused on early and development stage technology companies.

His blaming of the corporation’s governance issues appears to be a direct criticism of chair Samir Shah and other members of the board, the BBC reported.

His resignation comes as Mr Shah and board members Sir Robbie Gibb and Caroline Thomson are expected to give evidence to the culture, media and sport committee of MPs on Monday.

The members will likely face questions over claims of “systemic issues” within the organisation, which were first made in a leaked document written by Michael Prescott, the former independent external adviser to the BBC’s editorial guidelines and standards committee.

Tim Davie and Deborah Turness resigned following criticism that the Panorama episode misled viewers (PA)

The report made accusations of several instances of bias at the organisation, including a Panorama episode that edited parts of a speech made by Donald Trump before the attack on the US Capitol in 2021.

The claims made by Mr Prescott, which resulted in a threatened lawsuit of up to £5bn from Mr Trump, prompted the resignations of Mr Davie and Ms Turness earlier this month.

Mr Shah apologised for an “error of judgement”, and said the BBC accepted that the way in which the speech was edited “did give the impression of a direct call for violent action”.

The board member, who earned a base fee of £33,000 a year, was responsible for “upholding and protecting the independence of the BBC by acting in the public interest and exercising independent judgement”, according to the BBC’s website.

“He is also responsible for ensuring that the BBC fulfils its mission to inform, educate and entertain, and promotes its public purposes.”