Jeffrey Smele quoted in Financial Times on Trump’s libel claim against BBC

Head of Media & Communications Disputes, Jeffrey Smele was quoted extensively in an article in the Financial Times on 17 December 2025, addressing the question – ‘ Why is Donald Trump suing the BBC – and will he win?’.

When asked how strong the case was, Jeffrey explained that he believed the claim to be “extravagant” and that the BBC had “some good grounds on which to fight” while President Trump “is going to face a challenge establishing real damage”.

This comes as the US President seeks billions of dollars in damages over the BBC’s editing of a speech he made in 2021.

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