To think the BBC has become a mouthpiece for Reform and will help win them the next election

[Hazlenuts2016]

Previously posted in politics but now posting in AIBU for more traffic.
Watching Laura K this morning shamelessly talking over everything Yvette Cooper was saying and then interview Robert Jenrick as if he were a key member of the (proper) shadow cabinet and barely challenge him at all. Why was he even given airtime this morning? I think she and Chris Mason, particularly, are on the wrong side of history and will regret it when Farage gets in, abolishes the BBC and they have to beg for jobs at GB News. The excessive amount of time the BBC gives to Reform and their endless criticism of Labour is so blatant.

Here we go again. You don’t like Reform, so apparently the BBC is a mouthpiece for reform. Reform are leading. Get over it. If people didn’t want Reform to surge, perhaps they should have held back from shoving their far left political views on everyone and calling everyone who questions mass immigration racist.

Pretty much sums up the Marxist far left. Full of contempt for the little people. And full of their own moral superiority. Despite the Greens being absolute fruitcakes.

@hattie43I've never said the other parties haven't had scandals. But nobody else in a major political party would get away with having a racist past like Farage, proclaiming Hitler was right. Anyone else would have been forced to resign by now, from any party. But he hasn't because he is powerful and most of our media are backing him. Because there will be tax breaks for their companies when he gets in. And lives of the poorest will be worse because of it. If you want to know what a Reform promise looks like, just see what they are doing locally. 75k spent on flags in Notts. Millions on a waste consultant in Leics. And not able to slash council tax as they pledged because ..well its not that easy!

None of that interests me . You vote your way and I’ll vote mine .

Not just the BBC - the media as a whole just can't get enough of Farage.

Although he's been around for years he's still a bit of a novelty act and an 'outsider' - guaranteed to give good copy. I loathe him but he is the UK's most influential politician.

Being so high profile and a personality isn't a bad thing though - Reform will sink without trace if Farage falls out with them, as he always did with his other parties; they're nothing without him.

There’s a greater percentage of people with what you consider “far left” political views than Reform supporters. Add up the voting intentions for Labour, Libdem and Green parties and see what you get. Reform’s numbers are falling back again now anyway.

@BeAvidHiker Recent surveys from Ipsos:

Are Reform / The Conservatives ready for government?

A quarter (25%) of Britons agree that Reform UK are ready to form the next government, while 58% disagree. Their position has slightly worsened from September 2025 (when 53% disagreed).
Just 14% agree the Conservatives are ready to form the next government. 65% disagree.
The picture for Reform and the Conservatives is worse than previous successful opposition parties just before they won elections.
In July 2024 49% agreed Keir Starmer’s Labour Party was ready for government. 34% disagreed.
In May 2010, 65% agreed David Cameron’s Conservative Party was ready for government. 26% disagreed.
In April 1997, 55% agreed Tony Blair’s Labour Party was ready for government.
A similar picture is observed when asking whether Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch are ready to be Prime Minister.
24% agree Nigel Farage is ready to be Prime Minister and 59% disagree.
16% agree that Kemi Badenoch is ready to be Prime Minister and 57% disagree.
Before the last General Election, 41% agreed Keir Starmer was ready to be Prime Minister. In April 2010 51% agreed David Cameron was ready and in April 1997 53% agreed that Tony Blair was ready.

I have contact with Yvette Cooper professionally.

She is very principled, a fantastic professional and very smart. Nothing gets past her!

Thanks for the chat GPT copy/paste. What’s your point?

Yes, the BBC so "rabidly far left" they basically have Farage a permanent fixture on QT, platform Reform at every single opportunity, refused point-blank to air anything remotely critical of Boris Johnson's government because he told them he withdraw journalistic access entirely if they did and they simply keeled over, Tory donors everywhere at Board level, etc etc

There's only one "delusional" take here matey.

"Marxist far left"

This is the latest nonsense on Mumsnet. Label everything and anyone who isn't a raving racist, fascist, xenophobic, neo-liberal, uber-capitalist, swivel-eyed lunatic "far left".

It's laughable.

Oh I don't know, "matey", I seem to remember plenty of criticism of Boris Johnson and his government. Non stop, in fact.

Farage may be a fixture on QT but they hardly roll out the red carpet for him do they? He's treated with contempt. They have him there for debate and good telly, not because they agree with his principles.

Or perhaps we are living in parallel universes?

@BeAvidHikerit wasn't chat gpt, it was Ipsos, as stated. The point is, a Reform victory is NOT as much of a sure thing as you'd like it to be and so there is hope for society yet.

He’s getting disproportionate exposure regardless of the QT producers’ motivation.

They can’t help it. It’s some kind of reflex.

Says the person who wrote Pretty much sums up the Marxist far left. Full of contempt for the little people. And full of their own moral superiority. Despite the Greens being absolute fruitcakes.

Yes and she’s 100% spot on.

So it only works one way? Good to know.

There’s no doubt that Reform have been platformed beyond reason. A quick google will tell you that, for example:

Analysts have noted that Farage appeared as a guest on Question Time roughly 38 times by late 2024, despite not being an MP for most of that period.

I don’t think smarming for coffee justifies that. Think Corbyn has been invited on 3 times in total? Polanski has had no such privilege, despite surging popularity. Happy to be disproved.

Ongoing pattern once he became an MP and I, like the old fart that I am, wrote to the BBC questioning rationale and they justified it by saying it’s cos he’s so popular.

It isn’t just the platforming; it is, as has been mentioned, the lack of challenge in tone and content that I find odd.

@PeachOctopus the latest yougov poll puts Greens at 21% and Reform at 23%

@BeAvidHikerI'm not a Greens fan/voter, but if you look at the latest yougov poll there is only 2% between them and Reform. Their popularity is going down.

OP, you haven’t replied to any of the PP who suggest it’s simply down to scheduling arrangements and nothing to do with the BBC trying to engineer a Reform victory (which does sound ludicrous).

@TeenagersAngstwhy would the other parties, especially LD, not want a platform? That doesn't make any sense. There is no evidence that that is the case and plenty of evidence that there has been disproportionate coverage given to Farage over the years and now Reform. I firmly believe Laura K is very right wing and that has been said for years. She definitely treated Cooper poorly on Sunday. Chris Mason similarly biased in his gloating over amy Labour crisis. The BBC have had political appts in their leadership. Victoria Derbyshire is however, excellent when she stands in for LK, but her own show got cut.