THE BBC’s director-general has been challenged by an SNP MSP after a “simply misleading” headline about his party.
Former Scottish government minister Kevin Stewart has penned a letter to BBC chief Tim Davie raising concerns about a story on the SNP and the two-child benefit cap.
As The National reported previously, a BBC article on Monday, July 15, was headlined: “SNP join push to scrap two-child benefit cap.”
It then reported: “The SNP have announced plans to join Labour rebels in trying to force the government to scrap the two-child benefit cap.”
At the time, figures in the SNP called the BBC out over the framing of the story, which suggested the SNP had only just begun to oppose the two-child cap.
If the BBC do not want people to mistrust their motives then this kind of misleading headline is exactly what not to do. The SNP have opposed the 2 child cap since its introduction and have consistently campaigned on it. You need to sort this BBC https://t.co/NZbfcQCma4
— Jim Fairlie MSP SNP (@JimFairlieLogie) July 15, 2024
Agriculture Minister Jim Fairlie said: “If the BBC do not want people to mistrust their motives then this kind of misleading headline is exactly what not to do.
“The SNP have opposed the two-child cap since its introduction and have consistently campaigned on it. You need to sort this, BBC.”
The BBC did not respond to The National’s request for comment.
Now, Stewart has written to the BBC director-general to chase the issue up.
The Aberdeen Central MSP said: “The SNP has been at the forefront of the opposition to the two-child benefit cap since its introduction in 2017.
“SNP MPs and MSPs have spoken out very clearly against the cap in both Westminster and Holyrood on numerous occasions, including a high-profile campaign led by former SNP MP for Glasgow Central, Alison Thewliss.
“Abolition of the cap has been a key SNP party policy since its inception, and it has featured in SNP manifestos ever since – including the 2024 General Election. SNP plans to table an amendment to the King’s Speech to remove the cap are therefore clearly a continuation of the SNP’s seven-year fight against this horrific policy.
“I fail to understand how this latest move can in any way be described as ‘joining’ the push to scrap the two-child benefit cap, when it is the SNP that have been spearheading that push all along. To suggest otherwise, as this headline does, is simply misleading.
“Given the reach that the BBC has, and in an era of fake news and misinformation, it is imperative that people can trust the content you put out. Headlines such as these do nothing for your reputation in Scotland, and frankly licence fee payers here deserve better.”
Labour have stood by the two-child cap on benefits, refusing to use the King's Speech on Wednesday to remove it. Instead, Cabinet Secretary Pat McFadden sparked anger after claiming that whether the cap harms children is "open to debate".
The BBC has again been approached for comment.
