BBC coverage of migration to be reviewed to ‘consider whether due impartiality is being delivered’

THE BBC’s coverage of migration will be reviewed to “consider whether due impartiality is being delivered”, the corporation said yesterday.

It will assess the output of topics such as small boats crossing the English Channel, the Government's policy of sending migrants to Rwanda, the impact of migration on communities in the UK, and the admission of refugees from Ukraine.

The review, which has been commissioned by the BBC Board, will be jointly chaired by Madeleine Sumption, director of the Migration Observatory based at Oxford University, and Samir Shah, chief executive of the independent television and radio production company Juniper.

Earlier this year, the BBC found itself in an impartiality row with Gary Lineker after he posted a tweet saying the language used by the Government to promote its asylum plans was not dissimilar to 1930s Germany.

News of the review came as it was announced that the BBC Match of the Day host will receive a 'Sport and Human Rights' award at a ceremony in Rome, Italy, next week.

He is described as a "staunch advocate for the rights of refugees and migrants" in a release confirming the award from human rights organisation Amnesty International.

Just last month Richard Sharp resigned as BBC chairman after being found to have broken the rules by helping Boris Johnson secure an £800,000 loan.

In a statement Mr Sharp welcomed the review.

"Madeleine Sumption and Samir Shah are well-known for their expert understanding of the issues involved in delivering impartial coverage of migration, which is an important and often intensely contested subject,” he said.

"Their combination of evidence-based academic research and working knowledge of impartiality in broadcasting make them highly qualified to lead the thematic review into BBC migration output.

"Their findings will ensure the BBC continues to have the correct approach to producing coverage that audiences can trust."

The review's work will begin "in the coming days", the broadcaster said, as it committed to publishing its findings.