David Chadwick, Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe, has responded to the BBC following a complaint he made due to the Question Time panel line-up.

On the 15th of October, David Chadwick wrote a letter to the BBC with a formal complaint following the panel selection for Question Time, hosted in Brecon on the same night. Mr Chadwick said that the Liberal Democrats had been excluded, and questioned why James Evans, Reform UK Member of the Senedd for Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd, was allowed to be on the panel.

The BBC told the Brecon and Radnor Express: “Question Time has a policy of not inviting sitting MPs to appear on panels in their own constituencies. Exceptions have occasionally been made for special programmes focusing on a single issue. In Wales, however, each Senedd constituency is represented by multiple members from different political parties, making it impractical to apply the same convention.

“Question Time aims for due representation across the series taking into account voting patterns and voting intentions of the UK and the specific location. Recently, the Liberal Democrats have been represented at the Peterlee debate earlier in October, and at the debate in Cambridge in September.”

Responding, Mr Chadwick said: “The BBC's explanation simply doesn't wash. The fact that Senedd constituencies elect multiple representatives does not change the fact that they are local politicians, just like MPs.

“If the BBC had applied the same principle it uses to exclude local MPs, there were still 30 other Reform UK Senedd Members in Wales it could have invited who do not represent the local constituency; it is not remotely 'impractical'. Indeed, the BBC has already demonstrated that this is perfectly possible by inviting a Plaid Cymru Senedd Member who does not represent the local area.

"I will be following this up further with the BBC, if the public are to have trust in the institution, it's important that principles and guidelines are upheld consistently and equally."