The BBC has sparked another “bias” row after Emma Barnett grilled Nigel Farage in a tense interview on BBC Radio 4.
The topics of the success of Brexit and Farage’s relationship with billionaire Elon Musk came up, with Barnett being accused of a “hatchet job” against the Reform UK leader.
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One tense moment saw Farage hit out at Keir Starmer for “cosying up” to the EU rather than focus on transatlantic deals, as Barnett asked: “Doesn’t it show you that he is following his own manifesto at an election he won? He talked about improving the UK’s trade and investment relationship with the EU and that seemed to be go down pretty well with voters.”
Farage responded: “Well, yes, but if that means siding up to EU, that certainly wasn’t explicit in his manifesto… I found the symbolism a bit disturbing,” as Barnett cut in: “What I am getting at is, Labour won, it is in their manifesto to improve an investment relationship with the EU, why is that a bad move?”
Farage then explained that if the UK continued “tying ourselves to an industrial collaboration, we find ourselves with less flexibility when we do deals with countries in America”.
Barnett then asked: “Don’t you care what people think?” as she brought up a YouGov survey of 15,000 people by UGov, which showed more people in every constituency in England, Scotland and Wales “back a closer relationship with the EU rather than more transatlantic trade with Washington”.
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The Reform leader replied: “It depends how you ask the question, as with all opinion polls, how do you ask the question…”
Barnett interrupted again to scoff: “Well you’re quite a fan of opinion polls that put Reform ahead of Labour and the Conservatives, it does depend on how you ask the question.”
Listeners rushed to social media to share their fury as columnist Allison Pearson said: “Why didn’t Emma Barnett ask @Nigel_Farage about the extraordinary lead both Reform UK, and Nigel personally, have in the new You Gov poll over both the Tories and the Labour government? It’s a historic moment. Too busy b*tching about Brexit and Musk.”
A follower replied: “Poor BBC, they just aren’t coping well with populism (democracy).”
One listener penned: “What an appalling attempted hatchet job on Nigel Farage on Radio 4’s Today programme this morning. Typical BBC combative journalism and so rude.”
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Another raged: “What a waste of time having @Nigel_Farage on this show if all the interviewer is going to do is show the @BBC BIAS like a typical remoaner. Very poor quality interview, disparaging towards one of the most important UK politicians in early 21st Century.”
A third agreed: “Nigel Farage was just on BBC radio. His party leads the polls, but he was treated like a bad smell. The tone was withering, petulant and sneering, as if the host had to prove her journalistic integrity by – not just ‘roughing up’ Farage – but by intimating he is beyond the pale.”
However, one listener accused the BBC of being biased the other way, as they said: “The BBC news department and the U.K. MEDIA putting all of their efforts and resources into promoting Reform and Farage and discrediting Labour at every turn.”
