'This will be bankrupting!' BBC left 'shaking the piggy bank' as Donald Trump sues broadcaster for $10billion

Donald Trump's lawsuit against the BBC is a "bankrupting number" for the broadcaster, a commentator has told GB News.

Speaking to the Late Show Live, Thomas Corbett-Dillon said the US President's decision will be catastrophic for the British institution "even if they have to pay half" of the amount.

Mr Trump has filed a $10billion (£7.48billion) lawsuit against the BBC over the edit of a Panorama programme featuring his January 6 speech.

Mr Trump accused the broadcaster of "defamation" and breaking Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. He is pushing for $5billion (£3.74billion) for each alleged offence.

Reacting to the announcement, Mr Corbett-Dillon told GB News: "It's interesting - that is a big number, and these are American numbers.

"If it was for something like CBS, they would be like, okay, fine, we can do that. To the BBC, this is a bankrupting number if they even have to pay half of this."

He stated: "I don't know what reserves they've got, but I doubt it's anywhere near a billion, they haven't turned a profit in however long."

Delivering her verdict on the lawsuit, host Bev Turner said the BBC "doesn't have $5billion" to pay to Mr Trump.

Bev swiped: "The BBC doesn't have $5billion, so there's no point in going to $10billion.

"It works out at about £3.7billion, and it would be devastating if it was to get anywhere near that."

Mr Corbett-Dillon agreed, adding: "What are their running costs? I don't even think their running costs are even near that, are they?

"I mean, they must be high, but in the UK, we don't do billions."

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

• Donald Trump sues 'fake news' BBC for $10 BILLION over Panorama edit
• Donald Trump confirms he will SUE the BBC for 'fake news' in scathing takedown: 'They used AI!'
• Donald Trump vows 'US will retaliate' after 3 Americans killed during Isis attack in Syria

Bev then swiped at the BBC, telling her panel: "What we do know is they're currently shaking the piggy bank upside down to see what they do have.

"There will be people at the BBC right now scrutinising these numbers, trying to work out what this means, getting the very best lawyers on side."

She added: "The BBC have messed this up. You don't have to be a psychologist to know that with President Trump he wants to play fair. Actually, he wants to fight fair, but he also likes a deal.

"They should have come out straight away, they should have said, 'we're really sorry'. They should have offered a small amount of money, and they didn't. They didn't do it."

Agreeing with Bev, former Obama policy adviser Laurie Watkins responded: "The ego needed to be stroked, and it was not.

"Who I also feel sorry for right now are all the people who work at this news network, because you and I both know, when you need to make cuts, you need to keep your reserves, it's the people that go.

"Whether that's staff reductions, among other things, and so I hope that that doesn't happen, but I don't see how how there's any way around that at this point."

The BBC are yet to respond to the lawsuit, but earlier this year acknowledged that the edit had given "the mistaken impression" he had "made a direct call for violent action", but disagreed that there was basis for a defamation claim.

In a statement, a BBC spokesman said: "As we have made clear previously, we will be defending this case. We are not going to make further comment on ongoing legal proceedings."