London, UK - The BBC said Tuesday it would fight a $10-billion lawsuit brought by President Donald Trump against the British broadcaster over a documentary that edited his 2021 speech ahead of the US Capitol riot.

"As we have made clear previously, we will be defending this case," a BBC spokesperson said in a statement sent to AFP, adding the company would not be making "further comment on ongoing legal proceedings."

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Miami, seeks "damages in an amount not less than $5,000,000,000" for each of two counts against the British broadcaster, for alleged defamation and violation of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.

The video that triggered the lawsuit spliced together two separate sections of Trump's speech on January 6, 2021, in a way that made it appear he explicitly urged supporters to attack the Capitol, where lawmakers were certifying Joe Biden's 2020 election win.

The lawsuit comes as the UK government on Tuesday launched the politically sensitive review of the BBC's Royal Charter, which outlines the corporation's funding and governance and needs to be renewed in 2027.

As part of the review, it launched a public consultation on issues including the role of "accuracy" in the BBC's mission and contentious reforms to the corporation's funding model, which currently relies on a mandatory fee for anyone in the country who watches television.

Minister Stephen Kinnock stressed after the lawsuit was filed that the UK government "is a massive supporter of the BBC."

The BBC has "been very clear that there is no case to answer in terms of Mr. Trump's accusation on the broader point of libel or defamation. I think it's right the BBC stands firm on that point," Kinnock told Sky News on Tuesday.

Trump (79) had said the lawsuit was imminent, claiming the BBC had "put words in my mouth," even positing that "they used AI or something."

The documentary at issue aired last year before the 2024 election, on the BBC's Panorama flagship current affairs program.

The BBC has denied Trump's claims of legal defamation, though its chair Samir Shah has sent Trump a letter of apology.