Boris Johnson: It’s up to BBC to make sure this doesn’t happen again

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Boris Johnson has warned the BBC to take ‘every possible step’ to prevent a repeat of Martin Bashir’s 1995 interview with Princess Diana. A report released this week by an inquiry into the interview headed by former supreme court justice Lord Dyson found that Bashir had secured the interview through “deceitful behaviour,” including the forging of bank statements. The report also found that the BBC covered up its internal investigation of the interview, which was watched by over 20 million people.

Boris Johnson told BBC News: “I am obviously concerned by the findings of Lord Dyson’s report.”

Lord Dyson’s report said that the BBC had fallen short of “the high standards of integrity and transparency.”

It added that its 1996 internal investigation into the interview was “woefully ineffective.” 

The report also found that Martin Bashir was “in serious breach” of BBC guidelines.

It stated that Bashir had printed fake bank statements which suggested that a member of Diana’s staff was leaking her private information to the media.

Bashir used the documents to win the trust of Diana’s brother, Earl Spencer, and eventually gain access to Diana.

The BBC has issued an apology for the incident and sent letters to Prince William and Prince Harry.

William and Harry both strongly condemned the interview and the BBC’s handling of it. Saying that the ordeal had fuelled their mother’s “fear, paranoia and isolation.”

Scotland Yard has previously stated that it would not open a criminal investigation into Bashir, but says that it will assess the report “to ensure there is no significant new evidence.”

Prince William delivered a scathing statement on the report, saying that it brought “indescribable sadness.”

“The interview was a major contribution to making my parents’ relationship worse,” he said. “And has since hurt countless others.”

“It brings indescribable sadness to know that the BBC’s failures contributed significantly to her fear, paranoia and isolation that I remember from those final years with her.”

“She was failed not just by a rogue reporter, but by leaders at the BBC who looked the other way rather than asking the tough questions.”
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