Those aren't scare quotes.
They're quote quotes.
The BBC follows a journalistic style guide that requires the use of quotes when directly quoting someone else when the attribution is not clear.
That makes it easier to determine, when reading an article, if the substance of an article is based on a journalist's own research and observations or those of another.
It is actually the right way to do things.
BBC News style guide: https://www.bbc.co.uk/academy/en/articles/art201307021121335...