
Zia Yusuf blasted the corporation over the showâs audience
Nigel Farageâs Reform UK has raged at the BBC after it was revealed tonightâs immigration special of Question Time had an audience which included asylum seekers who arrived in Britain via small boats.
Tonightâs edition of the long-running debate show was based in Dover and was exclusivley focused on the topic of migration.
On the panel was Dover and Deal MP and Migration Minister Mike Tapp, Conservative MP for Bexhill and Battle Dr Kieran Mullan, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper, Green Party Leader Zack Polanski and Reform UKâs Head of Policy Zia Yusuf.
Mr Yusuf, Reformâs Head of Policy, said the BBC selected âmultiple peopleâ who made the dangerous journey across the English Channel , a statement confirmed by host Fiona Bruce.
He wrote on social media: âThere were literally multiple people who arrived in this country illegally by boat asking questions on tonightâs Question Time Immigration Special!
âThe BBC asked a question of an Iranian illegal migrant in the audience. His âquestionâ was him reading from his phone a list of reasons why Britain should *not* withdraw from the ECHR. He even mentioned the Northern Ireland Protocol! Incredible.â
Echoing his sentiment, Reformâs Deputy Leader Richard Tice added: âAnother BBC QT plant reminding us all why fundamental reform is needed. Viewers are sick and tired of this bias.â

Zia Yusuf on Question Time earlier today

In the episode, Mr Yusuf told a small boat migrant who had been refused asylum in a host of European countries he would be deported if Mr Farage wins the next election.
Mr Yusuf should have asked the Biased broadcaster if it was happy to host potential foreign terrorists, rapists and murderers on its weekly clap trap Question Time. He should also ask if any of them have been vetted and if not why are they free to roam about freely?
Ashraf, an Afghan national who crossed the Channel, told the panel he arrived in the UK around five year ago after trying to seek sanctuary in Turkey, Macedonia, Serbia, Romania, Austria and Germany.
When Ms Bruce asked Mr Yusuf if migrants such as Ashraf would be deported under a Reform government, he replied: âI donât know enough about that particular story. In terms of broad strokes, if you are entering from a war zone, it is generally women and children first and the vast majority of the people coming to this country, via the English Channel, illegally, are men.â
Mr Yusuf said: âIncredibly, the BBC planted multiple illegal migrants in the audience of Question Timeâs Immigration Special.
âOne said his asylum application had been rejected in SIX countries and so he came to Britain by small boat. I was asked if he would be deported.â

The panel hosted a discussion on small boats and migration (file pic)
Mr Farage told a press conference earlier today he was âdone with the BBCâ, accusing the broadcaster of âdouble standardsâ as he was pressed about allegations of racism during his schooldays.
The Reform leader said: âI cannot put up with the double standards of the BBC about what Iâm alleged to have said 49 years ago and what you were putting out on mainstream content. So I want an apology from the BBC for virtually everything you did throughout the 1970s and 80s.â
Mr Farageâs former classmate, Peter Ettedgui, is among those who have accused him of making racist remarks to him during their school days.
Mr Ettedgui, who is Jewish, claimed that Mr Farage had ârepeatedlyâ approached him and said âHitler was rightâ, while they were pupils at Dulwich College.

Nigel Farageâs took aim at the broadcaster
The panel clashed over migration when a member of the audience asked what they would do to stop the boats, with the senior Reform UK figure calling it âunfairâ on the British people.
Mr Yusuf said âjust four per cent of the people who arrived here illegally under Keir Starmerâs awful government have been deportedâ adding that: âBritain is a soft touch and what Labour has done is pour gasoline on a fire the Tories createdâ.
However, Mr Tapp hit back, saying: âWeâre not a soft touch, we have seen a sweeping set of reforms to the system over the last few weeks which is the largest since the Second World War.â
Mr Tapp accused Mr Yusuf of âsplitting hairsâ over the figures.

Zack Polanski clashed with Mike Tapp
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Meanwhile, Mr Polanski suggested British society is âfeeling brokenâ, suggesting âyears of austerityâ was to blame.
The Green Party Leader said: âI think we need to be really clear. This year, 800,000 people have arrived in this county.
âOut of those, 400,000 have come to study. 300,000 have come to work and they are a net contribution to our system. What weâre talking about is a policy for a sustainable society.â
Directly addressing the Labour minister, Mr Polanski said: âYou are a government of cowards, because you wonât tell people the truth about migration. The truth about migration is it is a positive thing for this country.â
A BBC spokesman told GB News: âAs immigration continues to be a primary concern for people in the UK, Question Time held a special episode in Dover with panellists from across the political spectrum and a local audience with a range of views and experiences.
âOver 20 audience members asked questions and contributed to the debate â including two people with direct experience of the asylum system in the UK who have been granted refugee status.
âAs immigration continues to be a primary concern for people in the UK, Question Time held a special episode in Dover with panellists from across the political spectrum and a local audience with a range of views and experiences.
âOver 20 audience members asked questions and contributed to the debate â including two people with direct experience of the asylum system in the UK who have been granted refugee status.â