The BBC must launch a full investigation into a documentary it aired about Gaza, Kemi Badenoch has said, as she questioned whether it may have led to cash being given to Hamas.
The Conservative leader has written to the public broadcaster calling for a probe into the commissioning of a programme called Gaza: How to Survive A Warzone.
Media reports have claimed the programme’s child narrator, Abdullah, is the son of Ayman Alyazouri, a Hamas deputy agriculture minister.
Mrs Badenoch suggested the family link could have led to “the possibility of payment to Hamas officials”.
The BBC has already faced calls to remove the programme from its iPlayer after Abdullah’s family links came to light.
Writing to BBC Director General Tim Davie, the Conservative leader said executives at the corporation had initially been “defensive” amid criticism of the documentary.
She added: “The BBC also suggested that ‘usual compliance procedures’ had been followed. But does filming inside Gaza not require something far beyond usual checks?
“This is why I support calls for an independent inquiry into the documentary’s commissioning and production, which should be concluded and published in a timely way.
“Such an investigation must consider allegations of potential collusion with Hamas, and the possibility of payment to Hamas officials.”
The probe must go much further, she added, and address “repeated and serious allegations of systemic and institutional bias against Israel in the BBC’s coverage of the war”.
The Tory leader also suggested she may withdraw her party’s support for the licence fee in future if the BBC does not address the concerns she raised.
Mrs Badenoch said: “The BBC must recognise how serious these allegations are for its public standing.
“The BBC’s Middle East coverage is widely regarded as unreliable. The Conservative Party has supported the BBC in government, including through the current charter, which will end in 2027.
“I cannot see how my party could support the continuation of the current licence fee-based system without serious action by the BBC management to prove the organisation is committed to true impartiality.”
The BBC has been contacted for comment.
