David Chadwick files complaint to BBC over Question Time panel

David Chadwick, Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe, has written to the BBC with a formal complaint following the panel selection for Question Time, hosted in Brecon on the 15th of October.

Mr Chadwick has said that the Liberal Democrats have been excluded.

Posting to Facebook, Mr Chadwick said: “I have written to the BBC to formally complain about the panel selected for Question Time in Brecon.

“The BBC has previously defended its longstanding policy of excluding local MPs from panels, yet has invited a local Reform UK Senedd Member while excluding the Liberal Democrats entirely.

“This is despite the programme being filmed in the only Liberal Democrat-held parliamentary and Senedd constituencies in Wales. I have asked the BBC for a full explanation of this decision.”

In the letter, addressed to the BBC Question Time Team, Mr Chadwick raises his formal complaint and says Question Time represents a “clear breach” of editorial principal the programme has and defends.

Question Time, which will air at 9 PM, will include Fiona Bruce presenting an hour of debate from Brecon with Stephen Kinnock, Mims Davies, Delyth Jewell, James Evans, Reform UK Member of the Senedd for Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd, and George Monbiot.

Mr Chadwick goes on to write: “Question Time has explicitly stated that it operates a longstanding policy of not inviting local MPs to appear on the panel when filming in their own constituencies, except for single-issue special programmes. Yet the panel announced for Brecon includes a Reform UK Member of the Senedd representing Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd, the local Senedd constituency for Brecon.

“This is a clear breach of the longstanding principle underpinning the programme's own editorial policy. The purpose of excluding local MPs is to prevent elected representatives from gaining an unfair advantage by appearing on the programme in the communities they represent. There is no credible justification for applying this principle to Westminster MPs while exempting Members of the Senedd who represent the very same communities.

“The distinction between an MP and a Member of the Senedd is entirely irrelevant to the principle at stake. Both are locally elected representatives, and both would receive the same advantage from appearing before a local audience.

“It is particularly extraordinary that the BBC has chosen to include the local Reform UK Senedd Member while excluding the Liberal Democrats entirely, despite the programme being filmed in the only Liberal Democrat-held parliamentary constituency in Wales. Jane Dodds, leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats and the only Liberal Democrat in the Senedd, is elected for that same Senedd constituency, yet she has not been invited either.

“The BBC cannot credibly defend the exclusion of local MPs on the grounds of a longstanding editorial principle while simultaneously disregarding that same principle to provide a platform to a local representative of another political party.

“I therefore demand a clear and substantive explanation of: 1. Why Question Time has breached its longstanding editorial principle by inviting the local Reform UK Senedd Member to appear on the panel in Brecon. 2. Why the BBC considers it acceptable to exclude local MPs under this principle while permitting local Members of the Senedd to appear. 3. Why no Liberal Democrat representative has been included on the panel, despite the programme being filmed in the only Liberal Democrat-held parliamentary constituency in Wales. 4. What steps the BBC intends to take to address this inconsistency and ensure that its longstanding editorial principles are applied equally to all political parties.

“The BBC has a fundamental responsibility to uphold political impartiality and apply its editorial principles consistently. The decision to include a local Reform UK representative while excluding the Liberal Democrats entirely is wholly unacceptable and raises serious questions about the tairness of the programme s editorial decision-making.

“I expect a full explanation of this clear departure from the programme's longstanding editorial principle, rather than a generic response about editorial discretion or political balance across multiple editions.”

The BBC have been approached for comment.