Huge BBC Question Time bias row erupts as Zia Yusuf demands: ‘Where’s the evidence!’
The Reform UK Home Affairs spokesperson questioned the makeup of the Question Time audience, claiming it was not reflective of their public polling.
Yusuf took issue with the Question Time audience (Image: BBC)
The BBC’s Question Time was accused of bias this evening after Reform UK Home Affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf claimed that the audience did not reflect the party’s poll support. Yusuf was appearing on a special edition of the programme following the resignation of the Prime Minister, alongside Labour’s Emily Thornberry, Conservative’s Kevin Hollinrake and journalist Stephanie Flanders.
Responding to a question about the potential for a pact between the Conservatives and Reform UK to defeat Labour, host Fiona Bruce had asked for a show of hands amongst Reform voters in the audience. After only a handful of hands appeared Yusuf took umbrage with the amount of voters in attendance.
Bruce defended the BBC’s efforts to ensure impartiality (Image: BBC)
He said: “You did ask earlier who here supports Reform and I make out four people in the audience who put their hand up which is interesting given Reform is at 28% in the polls.
“So genuine question, can we get a show of hands of people who actually support Reform?”
In response, a larger sample of people in the audience raised their hand, prompting Bruce to comment: “I think you will see that is a bit more than four.”
Yusuf replied: “I make that eight, it is certainly no where close to representative.”
Bruce responded: “Zia, can I just point out there are more people than that in the audience, they are just not putting their hands up. We are scrupulous about making sure that our audience is politically representative and I just want to point that out.”
Yusuf hit back: “And we all just have to take the BBC’s word for that.”
The BBC is bound by a strict code of impartiality due to its status as the national broadcaster and is scrutinised heavily over any perceived bias in any of its programmes, especially those in news and current affairs.
Hitting back at Yusuf’s inference that there was no proof that guests were screened and that the audience was reflective of the public mood, Bruce defended the show, claiming that she was not lying about the efforts producers had gone to to ensure balance.
Yusuf responded: “Where is the evidence for it?”
Bruce pointed out that the show’s producers screen audience members in advance, including scrubs of social media accounts, but that some people would be unwilling to show their political allegiance on national television.
A BBC Spokesperson said: “We go to great lengths to ensure a representative audience and we know there were a significant, and appropriate amount of Reform voters – more than raised their hands when asked. Not everyone wishes to declare their political allegiance on national TV.”
