Complaint
A viewer complained that a guest on the programme gave an inaccurate account of the reason Jeremy Corbyn had been prevented from standing as a Labour candidate, by saying it resulted from his reaction to the EHRC’s report on the party’s handling of issues connected with anti-Semitism whereas the reason given by Sir Kier Starmer to the NEC was that Labour had done badly at the last general election. The ECU considered the complaint in the light of the BBC’s editorial standards of accuracy.
Outcome
The motion proposed to Labour’s National Executive Committee by Sir Kier made no reference to the previous general election, but said the party’s prospects of winning the next election would be “significantly diminished should Mr Corbyn be endorsed”. The Labour whip had been withdrawn from Mr Corbyn following his reaction to the EHRC report, and Sir Kier subsequently said “Jeremy Corbyn’s actions in response to the EHRC report undermined and set back our work in restoring trust and confidence in the Labour Party’s ability to tackle antisemitism. In those circumstances, I have taken the decision not to restore the whip to Jeremy Corbyn”. In the light of these facts, the ECU saw no inaccuracy in the guest’s contribution.
Not upheld