Fiona Bruce, the host of Question Time, found herself in a heated exchange with a Conservative MP who accused the BBC of dishonesty during the show. Graham Stuart, Member of Parliament for Beverley and Holderness, drew criticism on social media after insinuating that the BBC was biased in its defense of Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, regarding a rental license issue. Bruce promptly intervened, cautioning Stuart against misrepresenting her words.
The incident, which took place in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, elicited applause from the live audience and led to Bruce delivering a firm rebuke to Stuart, momentarily quieting the room. Viewers at home also expressed their displeasure with Stuart’s behavior, labeling him as rude and arrogant.
Stuart, a former energy secretary under Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, diverted a discussion on prisons to target Reeves before making his controversial remark about the BBC. Bruce clarified that she was quoting information from an estate agent and not expressing her own views. She highlighted that the estate agent involved in Reeves’ case took responsibility for any errors, and the Prime Minister confirmed that no further action would be taken against Reeves.
Despite Bruce’s attempts to steer the conversation back to the original topic of prisons, Stuart persisted in questioning the accountability of public figures, prompting Bruce to reiterate that she was citing the estate agent’s words. The host emphasized that Keir Starmer had confirmed no wrongdoing on Reeves’ part in the rental license issue.
Bruce concluded the exchange by restating her reliance on the estate agent’s statement and then redirected the discussion to the initial subject of prisons, particularly focusing on recent incidents at HMP Wandsworth.