Nandy seeks ‘assurances’ Hamas did not receive money for BBC Gaza documentary

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy says she has sought “cast-iron assurances” that Hamas did not receive any money for a BBC documentary about Gaza which featured the son of a former official of the militant group.

Shadow culture secretary Stuart Andrew raised concerns that £400,000 of public funds had “indirectly supported a terrorist organisation”, as he called for a public inquiry.

Responding to an urgent question in the Commons, Nandy said she will keep MPs informed about the findings of an internal BBC investigation.

The corporation removed the documentary, Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone, from iPlayer after it emerged that the child narrator is the son of Ayman Alyazouri, who has worked as Hamas’s deputy minister of agriculture.

After the discovery about Abdullah Al-Yazouri, who speaks about life in the territory amid the war between Israel and Hamas, the BBC added a disclaimer to the programme and later removed it from its online catch-up service.

The minister said she sought urgent answers “about the checks and due diligence that should have been carried out ahead of the screening of a recent documentary into Gaza about the commissioning, the payments and the use of licensed fee payers money. ”

Nandy said she now also expected to be kept informed about the findings of an internal BBC investigation into the documentary.

The documentary, aired on February 17th, been pulled from the BBC’s  iPlayer service after an investigation by David Collier revealed links to Hamas.

This included the fact that that the 14-year-old English-speaking narrator, Abdullah, is the son of a Hamas deputy minister for agriculture, Ayman al-Yazouri.

Nandy faced questions about the government’s response to BBC’s handling of the incident from Tory shadow minister Stuart Andrew.

The Wigan MP responded: “It is my view, the view of this government, and I hope one shared across the whole house, that Hamas is a terrorist organization who are guilty of heinous acts of terrorism over many years, including the appalling terrorist and antisemitic attacks carried out on the 7th of October 2023.

“This is a position I set out clearly in public and in the media this week. That tragic day and the conflicts which followed has had real life impacts on communities across the UK, playing out on our streets and overseas, and every one of us has a duty to take the utmost care, not to exacerbate the situation.

“That is why I have discussed editorial guidelines with the BBC Director General in recent days.

“The BBC has clear editorial guidelines to report Hamas as a prescribed terror organisation by the UK Government. That was their policy under the last government, and it remains their policy now.”

She added: “The BBC’s  operational and editorial independence from the government is an important principle that we intend to uphold.

“As he will be aware as a former culture minister, it is for Ofcom as the independent regulator to ensure the BBC fulfills its obligations under the charter and broadcasting code.

“Nevertheless, as I have set out publicly, it is essential that the BBC maintains the highest standards of reporting and government governance that the public rightly expect. I have made those views clear to the BBC.”

For the Conservatives, Andrew said: “The BBC has a duty to provide accurate and impartial news and information, which is particularly important when it comes to coverage of highly sensitive events.

“But in this case, it is clear The BBC has fallen far short of these standards shortly after airing there, reports emerged as documentary was reportedly narrated by the son of the senior Hamas figure.”