The BBC Trust’s verdict against Panorama’s attack on Primark demonstrates there was, and probably still is, an agenda against retailers in the liberal media

The BBC Trust, the body which oversees standards in the Corporation, has issued a statement saying it is “more likely than not” that footage in a Panorama programme in 2008 alleging that children were working on Primark products was in fact fabricated. Primark has issued an extremely detailed statement outlining the ways in which it believes the programme misrepresented the truth, and the statement from the BBC Trust itself is extraordinary and well worth a read.

It was such a long time ago now it’s hard to remember what an impact the programme had. It won a Royal Television Society award and also formed the basis for a major piece in the Observer. People swallowed it, and I’m sure there were people who stopped shopping at Primark because of the programme. And the reason the BBC got away with it, until now, was that people in the liberal media establishment wanted to believe it was true.

There is no doubt that all fashion retailers have real issues when it comes to controlling and managing the supply chain. Primark, it’s fair to say, probably had more than it’s share of problems going back a few years, although it has made real strides in the past couple of years and is probably no worse than anyone else.

But child labour is a really serious accusation and it has to be backed up by evidence. What I struggle to get my head around is the lack of controls within the BBC to back up its assertions. Retail Week has many fewer readers than Panorama has viewers, and while I’d never claim we always get it right, I would always need to be 110% confident that the evidence was in place to back up such damaging assertions about a company.

I hope what comes of this is that those in the BBC and other liberal outlets like the Observer who have pursued what at times has been an anti-big business, anti-retail and especially anti-fast fashion agenda think again. It may not suit their dinner party conversations in Chiswick, but while there’s no question retailers can never rest on their laurels when it comes to factory standards and child labour, the industry - including Primark - has made massive strides to improve its record.

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