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Reform UK write to OFCOM to protest exclusion from main BBC Senedd debate

16 Apr 2021 2 minute read
2016’s Senedd election debate

Reform UK has written to OFCOM after the BBC decided to exclude them from the main Welsh leader’s debate on 29 April.

The BBC have revealed that the debate will be split into two parts, with the main parties in the first hour-long part, and other lesser parties in a second half-hour segment.

In the first hour, Bethan will host leaders invited from the Labour, Conservative, Plaid Cymru, Liberal Democrats and Abolish the Assembly parties.

Nick Servini will host leaders invited from Reform, UKIP, and the Green Party for the second part of the programme.

Reform are now complaining, saying that they are standing a full roster of candidates at the Senedd election, unlike Abolish the Assembly who are only standing in 23 constituencies.

Reform UK also point to the fact that, as the Brexit Party, they won the 2019 EU election in Wales, with two of four MEPs elected on 32.46% of the vote.

They claim that the BBC is selectively focusing on recent polling that put Abolish the Assembly ahead of them on the regional list, and not on past electoral performance as OFCOM’s code suggests.

“The decision by the BBC to wilfully exclude Reform Wales from the Leaders debate on the 29th is obviously wrong,” leader Richard Tice told Guido Fawkes.

“Particularly given that Reform, as it was then, The Brexit Party, won a national election in Wales a mere two years ago.

“Not only that we are running a full slate of candidates in line with the other major parties for the Senedd. Not to include us in this debate is clearly biased, unfair and totally unacceptable.”


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John Hatfield
John Hatfield
2 years ago

Usual BBC left-wing bias.

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