Today, ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4, 17 November 2023

Complaint

A listener complained about biased language in an interview with the Labour MP and Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting.The ECU considered whether the exchanges met the requirements for due impartiality set out in the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Editorial Guidelines.


Outcome

The presenter Nick Robinson asked Mr Streeting about the mood within the Labour Party given a number of Labour frontbenchers had resigned as a result of the party leadership’s refusal to back calls for a ceasefire in Gaza. In one of his questions he asked

Are you expecting more of your colleagues to resign, because clearly many are unhappy at what they think is the tone-deaf response of the leader of the opposition to the massacres that are taking place in Gaza?

In the ECU’s view Mr Robinson was explaining why in theory Labour MPs might be unhappy about Sir Keir Starmer’s attitude to a ceasefire, rather than giving his own view. In the same way that Mr Robinson was not personally accusing Sir Keir of being β€œtone-deaf”Μύ he was trying to reflect what some in the Labour party might be thinking about Israel’s attacks in Gaza.

ΜύNot Upheld