Complaint
A viewer complained that a reference to the Prime Minister as “Boris” by the presenter, though probably a lapse rather than a deliberate expression of disrespect, was nonetheless symptomatic of bias. The ECU considered the complaint in the light of the BBC’s editorial standards of impartiality.
Outcome
The use of Prime Minister’s forename occurred in a verbatim quotation by the presenter from a question as phrased by a member of the audience. Consequently it could not be considered a lapse on the presenter’s part, or to have given any indication, involuntary or otherwise, of the presenter’s attitude to the Prime Minister. There was therefore no inconsistency with the BBC’s standards of impartiality.
Not upheld