Minister Robert Jenrick tells BBC boss Tim Davie the corporation has lost the confidence of the Jewish community over its Israel-Hamas war coverage in charged meeting in Parliament

• BBC chief Tim Davie faced criticism from Tories over not calling Hamas terrorists

The BBC has lost the confidence of the Jewish community over its coverage of the Israel-Hamas war, a Cabinet minister told the corporation’s boss yesterday.

Director-General Tim Davie faced hostile Tory MPs at a meeting of the 1922 committee following weeks of criticism over the BBC’s use of the word ‘militants’ to describe Hamas – and not terrorists.

Last week the corporation finally shifted its position in favour of describing the group as a terrorist organisation proscribed by the UK Government.

But Mr Davie continued to resist Tory calls for a change in editorial policy.

BBC Director-General Tim Davie (picturerd) faced hostile Tory MPs at a meeting of the 1922 committee following weeks of criticism over the BBC’s use of the word ‘militants’ to describe Hamas – and not terrorists

Immigration minister Robert Jenrick (pictured) told the Director-General that the BBC had ‘lost the confidence of many people and in particular the British Jewish community’

At a charged meeting yesterday, immigration minister Robert Jenrick told the Director-General: ‘I’ve never been so disappointed in the BBC as I have been this past fortnight.

‘I worry that the organisation has lost the confidence of many people and in particular the British Jewish community. That loss of confidence began with the BBC’s refusal to call Hamas terrorists. Will you reconsider that, and change your editorial policy?’ However, Mr Davie refused to budge on the issue.

And a BBC spokesman said afterwards: ‘We make it clear about what the Government has said about Hamas. It’s not for us as a news organisation to proscribe any organisation as anything – what we do is set out to report what’s happening, what people are saying, and then the public make their judgments. It’s not about being neutral, it’s about being able to report in the UK, in Gaza, in the Middle East.’

But furious Tory MPs, branded the meeting a ‘waste of time’.

Vice-chairman Lee Anderson said: ‘He [Mr Davie] obviously doesn’t spend much time watching the BBC.’

The BBC has found itself in a battle with its own staff, with many complaining the corporation is being too biased towards Israel in its coverage.

• Jewish leaders have accused The Guardian of ‘new lows’ in publishing an opinion piece accusing Israel of ‘weaponising the Holocaust’. The Board of Deputies of British Jews said Tuesday’s article by Israel-American historian Raz Segal was ‘unbelievably crass’. A Guardian spokesman said the newspaper had consistently described the events of October 7 as ‘an unjustified attack on Israeli civilians.’

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