A former director of BBC News has criticised the broadcaster for its “bizarre” coverage of Reform UK’s policy proposal around welfare.
Last weekend, Reform unveiled plans to cut £50bn from the welfare bill by scrapping the personal independence payment scheme and stopping foreign nationals from getting most benefits.
The policy proposal was given top billing on the BBC News website on Sunday morning and led headlines on the News at Ten.
In a post on social media, Richard Sambrook, who spent 10 years on the corporation’s management board before becoming BBC News director, called out the prominence given to Reform’s plans.
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He said the BBC’s coverage was “frankly bizarre” as Reform are “not even the official opposition and the plans have less credibility than Count Binface.”
“Will BBC News do the same for Lib Dem and Greens policy two years out from an election,” Sambrook asked.
On X, Labour MP Rupa Huq shared Sambrook’s comments, which she described as a “significant intervention” on how the BBC’s coverage of current affairs is “prioritising Reform.”
She added: “The Gibbisation of the Beeb is a disgrace.”
With just eight MPs in the House of Commons, some have questioned whether Reform have received undue prominence from in the media since the 2024 general election.
Research last year found that Reform were the most referenced oppositional party on the BBC and ITV’s News at Ten coverage.
Reform representatives also appear more regularly than most on Question Time, with Zia Yusuf alone having made eight appearances on the programme since the 2024 election.