The Reform leader says he is awaiting an apology from the broadcaster and refusing to appear on Laura Kuenssberg’s show
: AFP
Nigel Farage is boycotting the BBC until he receives an apology from the broadcaster over accusations of bias in a special episode of Question Time.
The Reform leader took part in a half-hour question-and-answer session with a live studio audience on Friday, a format in which all major political party leaders have now participated.
But Mr Farage said he was “astonished” by what he considered an unrepresentative audience, saying it was “the most extreme example” of bias he had seen in 25 years of appearing on BBC programmes.
One audience member asked the Reform leader why his party attracted “racists and extremists” following a number of controversies over social media comments by candidates.
Another said Mr Farage employed “a whole slew of massive racists”, while a young woman told him “this country would be nothing without a rich history of immigration”.
On Saturday afternoon, Mr Farage announced he would not appear on the BBC’s flagship political programme, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, in protest.
Writing on X, he said: “I have just been invited to appear on Laura Kuenssberg. I’m refusing until the BBC apologises for their dishonest Question Time audience.
“Our state broadcaster has behaved like a political actor throughout this election. Reform will be campaigning vigorously to abolish the licence fee.”
Mr Farage told the Telegraph: “The whole thing is astonishing, it’s absolutely astonishing. That is not where the country is. “Last night was a really, really bad example. It was the most extreme example I’ve seen in the BBC in over 25 years.
“I did it, got through it, but the post-mortem analysis is that it was not the right audience. We should not be paying a licence fee if that’s the best they can do.”
The BBC pushed back against Mr Farage’s accusations on Saturday night. A spokesman said: “We refute these claims. Last night’s Question Time audience was made up of broadly similar levels of representation from Reform UK and the Green Party, with the other parties represented too.
“There were also a number of people, with a range of political views, who were still making up their mind.”
While Mr Farage noted one of the audience members had previously taken part in a pro-Palestinian rally, BBC sources insisted going to a protest did not rule somebody out of applying to be in the audience. They also said there were no members of BBC staff among the panel.
A Reform source said: “Somehow, they find an almost entirely hostile audience, somewhere where Reform are polling in the twenties. Pull the other one. We see them, and so does the country.”
It came as Mr Farage’s party made an official complaint to the election watchdog against Channel 4 in a separate row over footage of one of the party’s canvassers.
Andrew Parker, a part-time actor who lists “secret filming” among his skills, was shown in a Channel 4 News bulletin calling Rishi Sunak a “f------ p---”.
In response, the Reform leader said that he wanted nothing to do with party candidates who have been exposed as racists but claimed the incident involving Mr Parker, captured on a hidden camera, was staged.
Adam Richardson, the Reform secretary and a barrister, wrote to the Electoral Commission saying it was “entirely evident that Mr Parker was a plant within the Channel 4 News piece”.
Mr Richardson added: “The Channel 4 broadcast has clearly been made to harm Reform UK during an election period, and this cannot be described as anything short of election interference.
“It is entirely untrue that Mr Parker had any connection with Mr Farage as he details in the documentary, and has obviously attempted to use this fictional association to smear him in the national media and damage his campaign.”
He said he had also made a formal complaint to Essex Police on behalf of Mr Farage, “accusing actor Andrew Parker of knowingly making false statements about a candidate during an election campaign”.
Mr Parker said he was “glad” Reform had reported Channel 4 to the watchdog, having called himself a “total fool” over the incident.
A spokesperson for Channel 4 News said: “We strongly stand by our rigorous and duly impartial journalism which speaks for itself.
“We met Mr Parker for the first time at Reform UK party headquarters, where he was a Reform party canvasser.
“We did not pay the Reform UK canvasser or anyone else in this report. Mr Parker was not known to Channel 4 News and was filmed covertly via the undercover operation.”
The Prime Minister said he had been left “hurt and angry” by Mr Parker’s remarks and said it left Mr Farage with “questions to answer” about his supporters.
On Saturday, Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, backed Mr Sunak’s response, saying of Mr Farage: “This is about leadership. Leadership sets the culture and tone of a political party. “It’s no good Nigel Farage saying he doesn’t agree with his candidate’s racist comments. He needs to speak as a leader.”
Tom Tugendhat, the security minister, claimed the racist comments showed what Reform “really is” as a party.
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