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| Diana Panorama interview: BBC did not get to bottom of Martin Bashir’s lies, Hall tells MPs – live | Diana Panorama interview: BBC did not get to bottom of Martin Bashir’s lies, Hall tells MPs – live |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Former director general Tony Hall says he agrees with Dyson report’s assessment that investigation was ‘woefully ineffective’ | Former director general Tony Hall says he agrees with Dyson report’s assessment that investigation was ‘woefully ineffective’ |
| Birt is asked by the Tory MP Steve Brine whether he accepts the episode helped worsen Diana’s mental state and, as a result, “sparked a train of events which less than two years later would see the events in that underpass in Paris”. He says: | |
| Lord Birt tells the MPs that Bashir’s deception was “on a very, very significant scale”. He adds: | |
| He describes an elaborate two-pronged campaign of deception set out by Bashir that was both “cunning and callous”. He labels Bashir’s approach: | |
| Lord Birt calls Bashir a “serial liar on an industrial scale”. | |
| Lord Birt, who was director general at the time the interview was originally broadcast, is now giving evidence. He is asked at what point the BBC management became aware of the allegations. He says: | |
| Here’s a little more detail on Hall’s comments on the rehiring of Bashir. Asked if it was likely that the journalists who handled it did not know about the scandal surrounding him, Hall said: | |
| As we reported earlier, he then added: | |
| That’s the conclusion of Lord Hall’s evidence. Lord John Birt, a fellow former director general of the BBC, is due next in a couple of minutes. | |
| Nicholson closes by accusing Hall of presiding over a “cover-up”. The former BBC director general, taking issue with this, asks to comment. He tells the MPs: | |
| The SNP’s John Nicholson tells Hall he believes it “implausible” he was not involved in the rehiring of Bashir as religious affairs correspondent in 2016 – as the investigation by the BBC executive Ken MacQuarrie has found. | The SNP’s John Nicholson tells Hall he believes it “implausible” he was not involved in the rehiring of Bashir as religious affairs correspondent in 2016 – as the investigation by the BBC executive Ken MacQuarrie has found. |
| Nicholson calls that report a “whitewash”. Hall retorts: | Nicholson calls that report a “whitewash”. Hall retorts: |
| Hall is asked about comments made by Prince William, who said his mother was “failed, not just by a rogue reporter, but by leaders at the BBC, who looked the other way, rather than asking the tough questions”. He says: | Hall is asked about comments made by Prince William, who said his mother was “failed, not just by a rogue reporter, but by leaders at the BBC, who looked the other way, rather than asking the tough questions”. He says: |
| Asked if he has expressed this to William, he said: | Asked if he has expressed this to William, he said: |
| Hall tells MPs that he is not sure why the BBC decided not to report on the Bashir story when it first broke, saying that he leaves it to individual editors to decide whether or not matters involving the running of the institution are newsworthy. He says: | Hall tells MPs that he is not sure why the BBC decided not to report on the Bashir story when it first broke, saying that he leaves it to individual editors to decide whether or not matters involving the running of the institution are newsworthy. He says: |
| Hall said it was the “wrong judgment” to believe Bashir had been remorseful for his actions surrounding the Panorama interview. | Hall said it was the “wrong judgment” to believe Bashir had been remorseful for his actions surrounding the Panorama interview. |
| Lord Hall is asked if he agrees with Lord Dyson’s conclusion that his investigation process was “woefully ineffective”. | Lord Hall is asked if he agrees with Lord Dyson’s conclusion that his investigation process was “woefully ineffective”. |
| He says the report found that Diana was not deceived into actually doing the interview, though there were concerns about how Bashir had got close to her. He says their second investigation resulted in Bashir being given a “yellow card”. | He says the report found that Diana was not deceived into actually doing the interview, though there were concerns about how Bashir had got close to her. He says their second investigation resulted in Bashir being given a “yellow card”. |
| He says he and his team didn’t “get to the bottom of the lies” but insists they weren’t trying to conceal anything, that they were lied to and their trust in him had been misplaced. “He took us all in,” he says. | He says he and his team didn’t “get to the bottom of the lies” but insists they weren’t trying to conceal anything, that they were lied to and their trust in him had been misplaced. “He took us all in,” he says. |
| But he accepts that it was a mistake for his team not to have gone to Diana’s brother Earl Spencer to find out what he knew. | But he accepts that it was a mistake for his team not to have gone to Diana’s brother Earl Spencer to find out what he knew. |
| Hall is asked why he decided to believe Bashir “given that you knew that he’d already lied at least three times”. | Hall is asked why he decided to believe Bashir “given that you knew that he’d already lied at least three times”. |
| The former director general says Bashir told him he had already met the Princess of Wales before he concocted the documents, which were to be used for a later programme. Because Bashir was upset, contrite and out of his depth, Hall says they decided to believe him. | The former director general says Bashir told him he had already met the Princess of Wales before he concocted the documents, which were to be used for a later programme. Because Bashir was upset, contrite and out of his depth, Hall says they decided to believe him. |
| Asked why Bashir was allowed to “moonlight” for ITV, Lord Hall again defers to his middle management, saying it is not for the director-general of an organisation as large as the BBC to get involved in matters such as deployment or payment of individual correspondents. | Asked why Bashir was allowed to “moonlight” for ITV, Lord Hall again defers to his middle management, saying it is not for the director-general of an organisation as large as the BBC to get involved in matters such as deployment or payment of individual correspondents. |
| The Tory chair of the committee, an increasingly exasperated Julian Knight, tells Hall “we’re getting nowhere” and moves on. | The Tory chair of the committee, an increasingly exasperated Julian Knight, tells Hall “we’re getting nowhere” and moves on. |
| Hall is asked whether the hiring process was “concocted” to ensure that Bashir got the job. But he says: | Hall is asked whether the hiring process was “concocted” to ensure that Bashir got the job. But he says: |
| Referring to the rehiring of Martin Bashir, Hall points out that a report found no evidence to suggest Bashir was employed to aid a cover-up of the events surrounding the 1995 Panorama programme. | Referring to the rehiring of Martin Bashir, Hall points out that a report found no evidence to suggest Bashir was employed to aid a cover-up of the events surrounding the 1995 Panorama programme. |
| Hall also tells the MPs he did not get personally involved in the hiring process. Asked why he did not get involved once he realised what had happened, he said it is not possible to do so when running such a large organisation and that he trusted his subordinates to get it right. He adds: | Hall also tells the MPs he did not get personally involved in the hiring process. Asked why he did not get involved once he realised what had happened, he said it is not possible to do so when running such a large organisation and that he trusted his subordinates to get it right. He adds: |
| Lord Hall adds that he set up a fresh inquiry after an ongoing member of staff reported concerns about faked documents and Bashir was “contrite and in tears”. | Lord Hall adds that he set up a fresh inquiry after an ongoing member of staff reported concerns about faked documents and Bashir was “contrite and in tears”. |
| But Hall says he decided to give Bashir a second chance because of his contrition. | But Hall says he decided to give Bashir a second chance because of his contrition. |
| Lord Hall opens his evidence by saying that he does not believe it was inappropriate to have called Martin Bashir an “honest and honourable” man 25 years ago, saying that he had looked into the matter and been told by Diana that she had been shown no faked documents. | Lord Hall opens his evidence by saying that he does not believe it was inappropriate to have called Martin Bashir an “honest and honourable” man 25 years ago, saying that he had looked into the matter and been told by Diana that she had been shown no faked documents. |
| That meant, he said, that he was justified in taking the view that he could trust Bashir. | That meant, he said, that he was justified in taking the view that he could trust Bashir. |
| Senior BBC figure are about to give evidence to MPs investigating the circumstances surrounding Martin Bashir’s interview with Diana, Princess of Wales – three weeks after a report by Lord Dyson found that Bashir was duplicitous in his approach to securing the interview and guilty of a “serious breach” of BBC guidelines. | Senior BBC figure are about to give evidence to MPs investigating the circumstances surrounding Martin Bashir’s interview with Diana, Princess of Wales – three weeks after a report by Lord Dyson found that Bashir was duplicitous in his approach to securing the interview and guilty of a “serious breach” of BBC guidelines. |
| Dyson found that Bashir had commissioned phoney bank transactions by a graphic designer who worked for the BBC. They purported to show payments from News International into the account of Alan Waller, a former security guard for Earl Spencer, to induce Spencer to arrange a meeting with Diana, his sister. | Dyson found that Bashir had commissioned phoney bank transactions by a graphic designer who worked for the BBC. They purported to show payments from News International into the account of Alan Waller, a former security guard for Earl Spencer, to induce Spencer to arrange a meeting with Diana, his sister. |
| Spencer accused Bashir of using this to convince him to help the journalist get close enough to his sister to secure the interview. Here’s the running order: | Spencer accused Bashir of using this to convince him to help the journalist get close enough to his sister to secure the interview. Here’s the running order: |
| The former BBC director-general Lord Tony Hall will be questioned shortly | The former BBC director-general Lord Tony Hall will be questioned shortly |
| Lord John Birt, also a former director-general, is due up at 10.45am | Lord John Birt, also a former director-general, is due up at 10.45am |
| Tim Davie, the current director-general, and the chair Richard Sharp will give evidence from 11.30am | Tim Davie, the current director-general, and the chair Richard Sharp will give evidence from 11.30am |