I'd say that BA know which side their bread is butttered!
Whatever adverse publicity they may get from this news, will be outweighed by the people buying the tickets. The top knobs will continue to buy tickets and have them upgraded. Whether it is a full Row 99 to Row 1, cannot be said.
Imagine the headline, "CPB photographed in econo sitting with the normal people" etc. etc. If the top knobs thought that BA was not going to look after them, then they would not buy so much as an econo ticket.
BA is a commercial airline and only it's shareholders can say of they approve of this kind of upgrade.