Complaint
A viewer complained that one of the panellists, Konstantin Kisin, had lied about what he had previously said about Rishi Sunak and that the presenter had failed to challenge of correct him. The ECU considered the complaint in the light of the BBC’s editorial standards of accuracy.
Outcome
The complaint related to an exchange between Mr Kisin and Douglas Alexander, the Secretary of State for Scotland, in which Mr Alexander taxed him with having said of Mr Sunak “He is a brown Hindu. How is he English?”. The ECU noted that, although Mr Kisin presenting himself as having said he regarded Mr Sunak as British rather than English, he did not deny having used the words attributed to him, and considered that Mr Alexander’s repeated challenge to his explanation rendered any intervention by the presenter redundant.
Not upheld
