BBC pauses civil servant secondment scheme after disclosure report

The Telegraph revealed that about 39 government civil servants from the Home Office and Ministry of Justice worked inside BBC News since 2018 on migration, crime and COVID-19 coverage without public disclosure. The BBC has paused the programme and says secondees never made editorial decisions.

• About 39 civil servants worked inside BBC News since 2018
• Topics included migration, crime, COVID-19 and population data
• One secondee fact-checked election debate claims for BBC Verify
• BBC paused the scheme and is reviewing its terms