Starmer has NOT urged Trump to drop $10bn law suit against the BBC

Keir Starmer has not urged Donald Trump to drop his $10billion law suit against the BBC, it was revealed today.

The president pressed ahead with his legal action overnight, accusing the corporation of causing severe reputational and financial harm with misleading editing of a speech.

The scandal erupted earlier this year when a leaked BBC memo highlighted concerns about the way clips of Mr Trump's address on January 6 2021 – the day of the Capitol Riots – were spliced together for a Panorama documentary.

The fallout from the report has claimed the jobs of both the director-general Tim Davie and the head of news Deborah Turness.

In a 33-page lawsuit, Mr Trump's lawyers accused the BBC of broadcasting a 'false, defamatory, deceptive, disparaging, inflammatory, and malicious depiction of President Trump'.

The edit was 'a brazen attempt to interfere in and influence' the 2024 US presidential election, the document said.

The BBC, which has not yet responded to the filing, has previously argued that Mr Trump's reputation could not have been damaged by the programme, as it was not broadcast in the US and he won the 2024 presidential election.

It is understood the PM has not spoken to Mr Trump about the situation, despite alarm at the broadcaster potentially being on the hook for huge sums.

In a round of interviews this morning, health minister Stephen Kinnock suggested the BBC was right to argue its case against the president.

He told Sky News: 'I think they have apologised for one or two of the mistakes that were made in that Panorama programme, but they've also been very clear that there is no case to answer in terms of Mr Trump's accusations on the broader point about libel or defamation.

'So, you know, I think it's right that the BBC stands firm on that point.

'Yes, there were some mistakes made in that particular piece of film, but I think the broader argument that they were making; they're right to stick by their guns on that and I hope that they will continue to do so.'

He said the Labour Party would 'always stand up for the BBC as a vitally important institution'.

The PM's official spokesman said of the BBC: 'They've made clear they believe there's no case around the broader point of defamation or libel, but that's for them and their legal teams to engage with...

'As we've said previously, we will always defend the principle of a strong, independent BBC as a trusted and relied upon national broadcaster, reporting without fear or favour.

'But as we've also consistently said, it's vitally important that they act to maintain trust, correcting mistakes quickly when they occur.'

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Asked if it would be acceptable for licence fee-payers to fund a potential defamation settlement, the spokesman said: 'I think we're getting a bit ahead of ourselves.'

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey has urged the PM to stand up for the BBC in the face of the 'outrageous legal threat'.

He said: 'Keir Starmer needs to stand up for the BBC against Trump's outrageous legal threat and protect licence fee-payers from being hit in the pocket.

'The Trump administration has clearly set out they want to interfere in our democracy, which includes undermining our national broadcaster.

'The Prime Minister needs to make clear this is unacceptable.'