THE BBC will ask to have Donald Trump’s $10 billion (£7.5 bn) defamation trial dismissed, a court document revealed.

The broadcaster is to file a motion to dismiss the case over a Panorama programme which included spliced together clips of a speech he made on the day of the 2021 Capitol riots.

Lawyers defending the broadcaster argued that the Florida court where the case was filed does not have “personal jurisdiction” over it and that the US president “failed to state a claim,” according to documents filed on Monday.

They said the Panorama documentary was not produced nor broadcast in Florida.

The Beeb’s legal team will also say that Mr Trump’s claim that the show was available on the US streaming service Britbox is false.

President Trump is expected to come under pressure to make rare disclosures about his properties and business interests as part of the lawsuit, according to the Guardian.

NUJ general secretary Laura Davison welcomed the BBC move, calling the lawsuit “frivolous and completely disproportionate.”

She told the Morning Star: “This action by the US president amounts to a mega SLAPP and a clear attempt to bully and damage the broadcaster.

“The BBC has apologised to Trump for the misediting of his January 6 2021 speech and has said that there was an ‘error of judgement’. Where editorial mistakes are made, it is right that they be acknowledged in an appropriate manner, as has been the case.

“What’s happening here is not new. Trump has a track record of threatening and pursuing legal action against press organisations, both foreign and domestic. Such lawsuits have clear ramifications for press freedom and the right of journalists to hold power to account without fear of retaliation.”