Reform UK has lodged an official complaint against the BBC as the row over the most recent episode of Question Time rumbles on.
Nigel Farage’s party lodged the complaint after two of the people in the audience were revealed to be migrants who arrived in the UK illegally.
In his letter to both the complaints team and Board of Directors, the party’s Head of Policy Zia Yusuf, who appeared on the panel, said: “This programme represented a serious failure of impartiality, editorial judgment, and audience selection standards expected of the BBC.”
As part of the long-running show’s immigration special from Dover, an Afghan and Iranian who had both arrived on small boats participated and asked questions to the panel.
Also on the panel was Dover and Deal MP and Migration Minister Mike Tapp, Conservative MP for Bexhill and Battle Dr Kieran Mullan, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper and Green Party Leader Zack Polanski.
A BBC spokesman told GB News: “All the parties represented on the panel were told the day before the show that there would be people in the audience who had been through the asylum system.”
Defending Mr Yusuf, Mr Farage said: “The BBC sunk to new depths last night on their Question Time show, their flagship politics show for over four decades, where they had two audience members who had illegally come into Britain by boat.
“Both of those individuals should not even be in the United Kingdom, they’ve broken in illegally. They should have been deported.”
Zia Yusuf has sent a letter of complaint
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BBC QUESTION TIME
Mr Farage continued: “The whole thing was a complete, absolute set up job, and we’re seeing this now more and more and more total absolute bias and prejudice from the BBC.
“Frankly, Question Time had been, over the years, a great programme. After last night, it is utterly discredited.”
The Afghan man, named Ashraf, revealed on the show he had his asylum claim rejected by six countries before making his way across the Channel.
Meanwhile, the Iranian man in the audience launched a defence of the European Convention of Human Rights.
Ashraf from Afghanistan was one of the people who asked a question
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BBC QUESTION TIME
The discussion between the panellists got heated when Mr Yusuf described Britain as “a soft touch” adding: “what Labour has done is pour gasoline on a fire the Tories created”.
Mr Tapp responded , saying: “We’re not a soft touch, we have seen a sweeping set of reforms to the system over the last few weeks which is the largest since the Second World War.”
The Labour Migration Minister accused Mr Yusuf of “splitting hairs” over the figures.
Reform’s Head of Policy came under fire after he was was branded “typically rude” by Greens leader Mr Polanski, when he suggested an audience member “hadn’t paid attention” to his party’s policies regarding immigration.
Zia Yusuf on Question Time last night
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BBCA member of the audience asked if migrant workers would lose their right to indefinite leave to remain, and therefore could face deportation, even if they had worked and lived here for years.
He said: “No, it is not at all [what Reform is suggesting]. So if you had paid attention to what we were announcing, you would not have that view.
“My mother is a care home worker and has worked in care homes for years. We have announced we would have an acute skilled shortage visa specifically for sectors like the care home sector.
“I know the care home sector well because my mother has worked in it for years, and I know how hard those people work.”
The audience was heard gasping, with some boos being audible.
Responding, Mr Tapp said: “What I love about my constituency is even people who disagree with me are very polite and that should be afforded by you too, Zia.
“Be polite to these lovely people.”