BBC must reform or die, says its new boss

He calls to cut bureaucracy and appeal to ALL of Britain

THE BBC’s new director-general warned yesterday that it must reform or die – as he unveiled sweeping moves to ensure impartiality, slash bureaucracy and reconnect with all parts of the UK.

Unveiling a bold manifesto in a major speech, Tim Davie said the corporation’s future can ‘no longer be taken for granted’.

He vowed to drive down bloated staff numbers and put an end to the broadcaster’s expansion. Mr Davie also announced a new social media crackdown on BBC employees, warning that if they wanted to be an ‘opinionated columnist or a partisan campaigner’ they should leave.

He said too many people ‘perceive us to be shaped by a particular perspective’.

In an uncompromising address to staff in Cardiff, he said the corporation needed to stop hiring people ‘in our own image’ and move away from endlessly filling its ranks with ‘BBC type’ employees.

The 22,000 staff were given a stark warning that there was ‘no room for complacency’ amid a ‘significant risk’ to the BBC’s future. Mr Davie said: ‘If current trends continue, we will not feel indispensable enough to all our audience.’

Mr Davie, who took over from Tony Hall on Tuesday, added: ‘The evidence is unequivocal: the future of a universal BBC can no longer be taken for granted. We have no inalienable right to exist.’ In his speech yesterday, he announced:

His number one priority is a renewed commitment to impartiality, with a pledge to drive out bias and a ‘ rigorously enforced’ social media clampdown, tackling ‘personal agendas’ and ‘seeking a wider spectrum of views’.

A war on bureaucracy and waste to slash the headcount, timewasting meetings and ‘ unnecessary committees’, as well as put an end to duplication of work and act more quickly to stop doing things that are not working.

An end to the ceaseless expansion, with a vow to close channels that do not offer value. As part of this, the broadcaster will not take any further digital radio or ‘traditional’ TV channel capacity.

Mr Davie said the BBC urgently needed to ‘champion’ and ‘recommit’ to impartiality. He argued it was ‘about being free from political bias, guided by the pursuit of truth, not a particular agenda’.

In his strongest words to staff in the entire speech, he warned: ‘If you want to be an opinionated columnist or a partisan campaigner cam- on social media then that is a valid choice, but you should not be working at the BBC.’

The BBC has been embroiled in a number of impartiality rows in recent months, including the furore caused by Emily Maitlis’ controversial monologue on Newsnight about the Dominic Cummings lockdown row.

There are also growing concerns about some presenters’ activities on social media.

During the last election campaign, newsreader Huw Edwards was forced to deny claims of bias after he liked a tweet of a video which said ‘Vote Labour for the National Health Service’.

Mr Edwards later claimed he had not seen the ‘Vote Labour’ message at the end of the clip.

Political editor Laura Kuenssberg was also criticised after she wrongly claimed on Twitter that a Labour activist punched a Tory adviser. She later apologised.

Mr Davie said new social media rules would be ‘ rigorously enforced’ and there would be ‘clearer direction on the declaration of external interests’ following concerns that news stars had risked undermining impartiality with their corporate work.

He added that the BBC should be ‘utterly impartial’.

Mr Davie also wants to tackle concerns that the corporation is too ‘London-centric’.

He said: ‘Across the UK, across all political views, across all of society, and across all age groups, people must feel their BBC is here for them, not for us.’

Mr Davie, 53, said he wanted ‘a more diverse and inclusive environment’ – but also called for an end to ‘dangerous’ navel-gazing.

This week the 17th director-general, on his second day in the job, brought back the singing of Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory at Last Night of the Proms following a huge outcry.

He was widely hailed for the move, with former Tory minister David Mellor saying: ‘Well done him.’

Mr Davie added that the BBC was ‘slow to change when we feel it is not essential’, warning: ‘Our organisation needs to evolve now – and fast.’

Former ITN newsreader Alastair Stewart praised the speech, tweeting: ‘Every word of this is worth reading and reflecting on.’

‘No inalienable right to exist’