The BBC has apologised for airing a false claim about Tony Blair's son's company being awarded a government contract to produce the new mandatory digital ID scheme.
The episode of comedy quiz show Have I Got News For You in which the claim was repeated has been removed from BBC iPlayer while it is edited out, the BBC told PoliticsHome.
Last week, the government announced a new digital ID scheme, which it said would help combat illegal working and make it easier for the public to use vital government services. It will be mandatory for Right to Work checks by the end of this Parliament.
On Friday evening, the BBC's Have I Got News For You host Victoria Coren incorrectly said that Multiverse – owned by Euan Blair, former prime minister Tony Blair's son – was producing the digital ID scheme, which she described as a "happy coincidence".
This claim is untrue and was fact-checked by the independent organisation Full Fact earlier this week. Blair's company, Multiverse, does not develop its own software, but offers apprenticeship programmes and training on AI and tech.
Both Multiverse and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology have confirmed there is "no truth" to the claims that the company is involved in any way. PoliticsHome understands that no decisions have been made regarding which third-party companies will be awarded contracts associated with the scheme, which is still in the early stages of development and will be subject to a public consultation later...
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