Nigel Farage allies explode over Question Time migrant ‘plant’ in latest BBC bias row | Politics | News
Key allies of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage have accused the BBC of “planting” illegal immigrants in viewers of a special immigration edition of Question Time broadcast from Dover last night. The party’s deputy leader, Richard Tice, and Zia Yusuf, the party’s head of policy and a leading Farage confidant, led a furious backlash after Thursday’s programme, claiming the company had deliberately packed viewers in small boats to undermine Reform’s anti-immigration message.
Taking to X immediately after broadcast, Mr Yusuf posted a series of clips and accusations that quickly went viral. He said: “There were a lot of people coming into this country illegally by boat and asking questions about tonight’s Special Immigration Question Time!”
He wrote this in the opening message of a topic that has already been viewed hundreds of thousands of times. He singled out an Iranian man reading from his phone a long, written question opposing Britain’s withdrawal from the European Convention on Human Rights and even referring to the Northern Ireland Protocol.
He added: “Amazingly, the BBC placed a number of illegal immigrants in the audience. One of them said his asylum application had been rejected in SIX countries so he came to the UK on a small boat.”
This person, an Afghan named Ashraf, asked the panel whether he would be deported. Yusuf, who was on the panel with Labor Party’s Yvette Cooper and others, said live on air that the Reform Government would dismiss him.
Mr Tice added: “Another BBC QT facility to remind us why fundamental reform is needed. Viewers are tired of this bias.”
The pair’s posts instantly triggered an online storm, with #BBCBias trending and Reform supporters branding the episode a “fiction”.
The BBC has strongly denied the allegations, arguing that only two viewers with direct experience of the asylum system were chosen to ask the questions.
A spokesman said: “As immigration continues to be a primary concern for people in the UK, Question Time hosted a special episode in Dover, featuring panelists from across the political spectrum and a local audience with a range of views and experiences.
“More than 20 audience members asked questions and contributed to the discussion, including two people who have direct experience of the asylum system in the UK and have been granted refugee status.”
This debate has given Reform UK a new weapon as the party continues to rise in the polls, regularly exceeding 20%. Both Mr. Tice and Mr. Yusuf had previously called for the abolition of the license fee and stricter measures on Canal crossings. Sources close to the party said the incident would be highlighted in the coming days as evidence of what they described as establishment bias against the Reform agenda.
