The BBC has apologised for referring to Reform UK as “far right” in a news report.
The apology related to coverage of the Liberal Democrats’ spring conference by the broadcaster, which said it had removed a sentence from an article that did not adhere to its editorial standards.
Reform UK, which blends an anti-immigration message with other rightwing positions in areas including culture and the climate crisis, is the successor to the Brexit party.
Lee Anderson was unveiled earlier this month as the party’s first-ever MP after he was stripped him of the Conservative whip over comments he made about Sadiq Khan, the London mayor, which were condemned as Islamophobic.
Tice said: “There are very significant implications of calling a political party, and by implication, its leader and senior leadership team far right. It is that which is defamatory and libellous. That is why they have apologised immediately.” He also said he expected the BBC to change its editorial guidelines.
Tice said the label of being “far right” would have “huge implications”, if other media outlets used it and suggested that he and others could lose their bank accounts or the ability to get a mortgage. He said his lawyers had also been in touch with other organisations.
The BBC said: “In an article about the Liberal Democrats’ spring conference we wrongly described the political party Reform UK as far right when referring to polling. This sentence was subsequently removed from the article as it fell short of our usual editorial standards.
Reform describes itself on its website as “a national political party offering commonsense policies on immigration, the cost of living, energy & national sovereignty”.
The party has continued to attempt to capitalise on its momentum in polls, which show it eating into the Conservatives. YouGov put Reform on 14% last week, although it has underperformed in byelections in comparison to its political predecessors, the Brexit party and Ukip.
Other polling has suggested that the party would receive a further major boost if its founder and current honorary president, Nigel Farage, returned as leader.
