BBC admits vetting failure over guest who called Jews ‘lying scumbags’

The BBC has admitted its vetting procedures fell short after it invited an influencer who called Jews “a bunch of lying scumbags” onto a live television programme.

Bushra Shaikh, a former contestant on The Apprentice, appeared on BBC One’s Sunday Morning Live on 11 October to discuss whether full-face coverings should be banned in public.

Her appearance sparked anger over previous social media posts about Jews, Israel and the 7 October Hamas attacks, raising questions about how she had been selected for the programme.

The broadcaster initially defended her appearance but has now acknowledged that producers were unaware of her past comments and confirmed that changes have been made to its vetting procedures.

The admission came after Labour MP David Taylor wrote to BBC director-general Matt Brittin demanding answers about the checks carried out before Shaikh was invited.

In a letter reported by The Telegraph, Daisy Scalchi, the BBC’s head of religion and ethics for television, acknowledged the concerns and confirmed that senior production staff had not known about the posts.

“The senior team confirmed they had not been made aware of these posts, which they accept is not in line with the standards we expect when selecting contributors for BBC programmes,” she wrote.

“The company have subsequently reviewed and updated their protocols, including oversight of these checks by the most senior member of the production team. I will continue to monitor these processes to ensure they are sufficiently robust.”

Shaikh had previously described Jews who moved from Europe to Israel as “the biggest charlatans on this planet” and “a bunch of lying scumbags”.

Hours after the Hamas attacks on 7 October 2023, she wrote: “Palestinians have done more in five minutes than Zelensky has done with 75bn. Humiliation is an understatement.”

Following her BBC appearance, she also posted: “Israel is a bigger threat to the West than Iran.”

As previously reported by Jewish News, Shaikh also appeared to respond to reports of protesters being killed in Iran by writing: “The real number is 6 million.”

It remains unclear whether she intended to reference the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust.

Taylor welcomed the BBC’s admission but questioned why Shaikh had been considered for the programme.

“It’s encouraging that the BBC has admitted they were wrong to invite Bushra Shaikh onto one of their programmes,” he told The Telegraph.

“But given her well-documented views in support of the Iranian regime, it’s still incredibly alarming that she was even considered as a potential talking head in the first place.”

The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA), which had criticised Shaikh’s appearance, accused the BBC of repeatedly dismissing concerns about antisemitism.

“Once again, the BBC rushed to dismiss complaints relating to antisemitism, and only when subjected to further scrutiny has the Corporation admitted it got it wrong,” the group said on Monday.

It questioned why the broadcaster had initially defended its decision and renewed its demand for the BBC licence fee to be suspended.

“Why must we go through this sort of process time after time?” it asked.

“Until then, the licence fee should be suspended. It seems that’s the only way to bring about change.”

Shaikh has rejected allegations that her comments were antisemitic or that she supports the Iranian government.

“I am not antisemitic. I reject antisemitism, and I do not believe Jewish people are a monolith,” she told The Telegraph.

She argued that criticism of the Israeli government’s policies should not automatically be treated as hostility towards Jewish people and denied being sympathetic to Iran’s regime.

The controversy comes amid wider scrutiny of the BBC following reports that Jewish former producer Lucie Kon received a settlement of more than £400,000 after raising allegations of antisemitism.

MPs have called for an independent inquiry into antisemitism at the broadcaster ahead of its renewal in 2028.

Jewish News has contacted the BBC for further comment.