Complaint
A viewer complained the composition of the panel on this programme was illustrative of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ’s pro-Conservative bias. Β The ECU considered whether the broadcast met the standards for impartiality set out in the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Editorial Guidelines.
Outcome
With the exception of election periods, the criterion for judging whether a programme has met the requirement for impartiality is whether an appropriate range of views has been represented over time.  It would not require a specific edition to include a spokesperson of any specific political party or interest group.  The ECU noted it was likely that many panels of this kind would include representatives from Conservative and Labour, the UK’s largest political parties, but that programme makers were free, within the guidelines, to choose those contributors they consider best matched the needs of that day’s output.
Not Upheld