Our Culture and Media spokesperson Max Wilkinson MP, has written to the head of OfCom requesting that the BBC carries proportionate coverage of political parties.
It’s hardly surprising. We have 72 MPs, Reform have 5. Yet the BBC pumps out wall to wall Farage like he is some rock star. I thought Chris Mason knew better, but he wrote about the Reform conference with the excitement of a child in a sweetie shop next to a McDonalds.
While Reform spit like sausages in a pan, our MPs get on and get stuff done – from Josh Babarinde getting the Government to agree to a specific offence of domestic abuse, to Roz Savage getting the Government to agree the principles of her Climate and Nature Bill, to Max himself getting renewable energy into every new home via his “sunshine bill.” Then there’s Christine Jardine achieving recognition and support for bereaved children. That’s just off the top of my head – four things that make a tangible difference for people and planet.
While these might not be as adrenaline pumping as the fire and brimstone Reform vomits over everyone they disapprove of, Lib Dems bring a lot more good in the world and get sod all recognition. That is not good enough. And it is not down to lack of trying on our part.
I’ve been critical of our core messaging being too timid and I stand by that. We do need to be more punchy in standing up to the racist mob. But I also think that we are not being given our fair share of the media pie and that our public service broadcaster needs to do better.
In an email to party members, Max Wilkinson said that the BBC follows Farage around like a lost puppy:
The Liberal Democrats are the largest third party in Parliament for 100 years. We’re the second party of local government, controlling more councils than the Conservatives.
Reform UK have four MPs (figure correct as of this week) and fewer than one third of the councillors we do.
So why is the BBC following Farage around like a lost puppy, providing Reform with wall to wall coverage and fanning the flames of their dangerous and divisive rhetoric?
Farage’s recent press conference, where he announced his immigration (so-called) ‘policy’, ran all day on the BBC’s home and politics pages – a favour rarely afforded to other political leaders. They’ve even given him coverage for making a statement that he’s not in favour of immigration, which will have come as news to absolutely nobody.
We can’t stand idly by while the BBC acts this way. That’s why today I wrote to the director of Ofcom to demand the BBC provide proportional coverage of political parties year-round.
Currently, broadcasters are only obliged to do this during a regulated period in the lead up to elections, with weighting based on a party’s parliamentary heft. This is an important part of our democracy – but we believe it should be the case at all times.
Max’s letter to OfCom concludes:
The country deserves fair, balanced journalism. Currently the BBC is required by the regulator to deliver this in the regulated period – the election period where state broadcasters are required to give proportionate coverage to political parties based on their parliamentary heft. Our petition sets out proposals for an extension to this period to year round – a plan that would give the electorate the respect it deserves by consistently providing fair coverage across the political spectrum.
“By paying such disproportionate attention to Nigel Farage’s latest outfit, Reform UK, the BBC is compromising its reputation. To many licence fee payers, the broadcaster gives the impression that it hangs on every word uttered by Farage…”
@maxwilkinson.bsky.social writes to Ofcom.
— Liberal Democrats (@libdems.org.uk) September 9, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Of course this wouldn’t necessarily help in the targeted and relentless push of social media radicalisation, but when the once respected BBC seems in thrall to the divisive rhetoric of Nigel Farage without any appearance of attempting real balance, we have a problem.
Max’s ask is that we sign the party’s petition calling for a more balanced BBC.
* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings. You can find her on Bluesky at caronmlindsay.bsky.social
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13 Comments
It’s really very simple, Reform drive more clicks to the BBC websites than what we do.
I have signed the petition. Ian Patterson says it is about clicks.To get those clicks WE HAVE TO BE MORE NEWSWORTHY. That means being more vocal,OUTRAGEOUS (ie putting sewage in the front door of THAMES WATER and invite the media).One article getting media attention is the flags action which is getting the clicks that shows being ‘different’ gets attention. Why have we not got a rota of MPs on a list to put forward to media channels ie Question Time to discuss the news of the day AND PUT OUR POLICIES FORWARD. We do do remarkable work on the floor but we need ATTENTION on us to get serious media attention .
However much we hate it, Reform UK has been leading national opinion polls for 5 months and even electoral calculus concedes that it could win a majority next election on current performance. The BBC would not be doing its job if it was not giving Reform serious attention and coverage.
Rather than complaining, we need to become serious challengers for power – then we will get more coverage for our policies.
Doubtless our MPs are getting important stuff done but it’s not on the issues of today. Who and where is our immigration spokesman presuming we have one. If we go on like this it can only get worse. Polanski will put the Green party more in focus and so will Corbyn when he gets going. The problem is not what we say,it’s we don’t shout it loud enough. We need to go for the ReformUK jugular.
The Lib Dem MPs appear as quiet, nice people, maybe that is why they got elected.
Daisy Cooper appears to have the charisma and power to take on the more aggressive role.
Would add, I have also signed the petition.
We are not going to defeat Reform by fighting on their chosen Territory, we should be fighting on Ours : Climate Change, The Economy (Joining The Single Market), The NHS (Attacking Reforms position on Vaccines) etc.
During the 14 years of Tory government, Labour frequently held similar polling positions to Reform’s current standing, yet never received the breathless, wall-to-wall coverage that the BBC now affords Farage’s party.
When Zia Yusuf, a person virtually unknown to the general public, resigned as Chairman of Reform in June the BBC treated this event as ‘breaking news’, and it led bulletins for two consecutive days. By any reasonable measure, treating Reform’s chairmanship as a matter of national urgency is absurd.
The hard right has proven exceptionally adept at pressuring the BBC to amplify their agenda, far more so than centrist or progressive voices. While we must accept that approximately 80% of newspapers maintain a rightward bias and adjust our media strategies accordingly, we should not tolerate similar distortions from our public broadcaster.
Over the Summer break, Reform were holding weekly press conferences broadcast on their social media accounts. They covered different themes and put forward policy ideas.
Crucially, all media were invited to these events, and unscripted questions taken. Those questions were responded to directly. No other party does this as far as I’m aware.
This gave the media an awful lot to talk about. It was easy for them to run stories.
Reform aren’t pressuring the BBC to do anything. They are just making it easy for them to provide coverage.
Apart from bias – and in spite of the valid points above, there is – the cynic in me considers that many journalists like an easy life. If they don’t have to put themselves out for a story, then that’s fantastic for them. It’s easy!
Sometimes the same seems to happen when there is some sort of disaster. They have little if anything to add as time goes by, but that doesn’t stop them regurgitating the original story and providing pointless analysis, often based on speculation, along the way. It’s easy.
We have to make it easy for the little dears.
@ Ian Cornwell 10th Sep ’25 – 4:24pm…
These Reform press conference were vehicles for Farage’s soundbites…Sadly, when these soundbites are retracted/changed by Farage, there is no ‘follow up’ by the BBC..
“I have bought a house in Clacton; that should be enough for you” . Full Coverage..
“The house I claimed to have bought isn’t mine it’s actually my girlfriend’s”…Barely a
mention
“We will deport every Afghan, including women and children to Afghanistan”.. Full Coverage
“We won’t deport women and children to Afghanistan.. Barely a mention (BTW, It’s since changed again.)
“I will stop the boats within two weeks of becoming PM” Full Coverage
“I won’t be able to stop the boats for many months”.. Barely a mention,
The list goes on!,
@expats, when these soundbites are retracted/changed by Farage, there is no ‘follow up’ by the BBC. I sent a message about Farage to word@one and they responded to say that by giving Farage airtime he would be subject to more scrutiny. Your point shows that is not the case and they do not realise that loud soundbites attract, even if they are wrong and when repeated people end up believing them.
I will sign the petition but we do need to up our game with short loud messages and (as I have said elsewhere) our MPs need to spend a little less time in Parliament and more going round the country speaking loudly.
The media are obsessed with Farage. It’s obvious. What’s hilarious is that Reform are no friend to the BBC. If they are elected, then they will move to exert more control over the broadcaster and also to cancel the license fee. It’s like turkeys voting for Christmas. I have complained to the BBC on more than one occasion about their biased and unbalanced coverage of Farage and Reform. Some weeks ago Paddy O’C on ‘The Westminster Hour’ was a particularly egregious example when he interviewed Farage with nobody else there to challenge him (and POC definitely didn’t). They agreed with my complaint in the end but of course have not changed their approach. The really annoying thing is that when Reform lose council seats it is not reported by the media (except ‘Private Eye’) but when they win them it’s as if they are the great white hope (pun intended). The fact that we came second in last year’s May council elections remains largely unrecognised and certainly unreported. Prior to UKIP and Reform political parties received coverage based on their representation in Parliament. OFCOM needs to address this disparity and do something about it. I support the recent party initiatives to call the broadcasters to account but all party members need to do better at complaining to the BBC and other broadcasters when they spot examples of biased and unbalanced reporting.