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Shumeet Banerji has resigned from the BBC board in the latest blow to the corporation since the resignation of its director-general nearly two weeks ago.
Banerji, who was set to stand down as a non-executive director at the end of the year, has been upset about the way that the board has handled the crisis, according to one person close to the situation.
He is said to be unhappy about the exit of Tim Davie, the director-general, as well as its head of news, and the board’s broader response to a crisis that many in its editorial team saw as avoidable.
A BBC spokesperson said late on Friday: “Shumeet Banerji today notified the BBC Board of his resignation . . . we thank him for his service. The search for a replacement is already well under way.”
The scandal was sparked by complaints by former adviser Michael Prescott over its coverage of the Gaza war and transgender issues as well as accusations that a documentary about Donald Trump had been edited misleadingly.
The board has come under attack for not doing more to support its executives. Davie resigned on November 9 over a scandal that has left the BBC facing a claim for up to $5bn in damages from the US president over the Panorama documentary. Deborah Turness, boss of BBC News, has also handed in her resignation.
The BBC has apologised to Trump for the edit of his January 6 2021 speech but has refused to pay compensation.
Some BBC insiders and politicians see Robbie Gibb, the former Conservative press secretary who also sits on the board, as part of a rightwing coup on the BBC board.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has put forward a motion in parliament to remove Gibb from the board, saying that “since he was appointed, he has meddled in editorial decisions and key appointments and tried to undermine the BBC from the inside”.
But Gibb’s allies deny any conspiracy, a position backed by BBC chair Samir Shah, who said that talks of a coup were “fanciful” and “disrespectful”.
Banerji was one of the non-executive directors on the BBC board, responsible for upholding and protecting its independence. He also helped to ensure that the board’s decision-making is in the public interest.
Banerji is the founder of Condorcet, an advisory and investment company focused on early- and development-stage technology companies.
He stepped down as boss of Booz & Company in 2012 and has served on the board of Hewlett-Packard and its successor HP since 2011. He also serves on the board of Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries.
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