BBC have removed an episode of Have I Got News For You from iPlayer over an "unintentional editorial oversight" surrounding Tony Blair's link to digital ID cards.
In the latest episode of the current affairs comedy and quiz show, a segment exploring the UK Government's plans to introduce digital ID cards saw host Victoria Coren Mitchell question the teams on who is set to benefit from the introduction of the cards.
"I was thinking of the company Multiverse, who has been chosen to run the digital ID cards scheme." She then asked the panel whose company Multiverse was, before claiming it was founded by Tony Blair's son, Euan.
While the company was founded by Blair's son, it has not been selected to produce the cards or run the scheme. The UK Government has not announced any project partner.
Blair had previously sought to introduce a similar system when he was prime minister, while his think tank has said the IDs could act as a “gateway” to Government services.
A BBC spokesperson said: "This week’s Have I Got News for You contained an inaccurate story about Euan Blair’s company, Multiverse, being chosen to develop the government’s contract to produce digital ID cards.
"Multiverse is not a software developer and there is no evidence of any involvement in the proposed digital ID scheme, therefore we have taken the episode off BBC iPlayer while we edit the relevant section out. We apologise for this unintentional editorial oversight."
Coren Mitchell also addressed the segment, writing on Twitter/X: "Meanwhile, if you see a clip of me saying the ID card contract has gone to Tony Blair's son: it hasn't. That was something I was given to ask about last night, but turns out to be incorrect. Which is bad news for the fact checkers but good news for social mobility."
