Martin Daubney, deputy leader of the Reclaim Party, has accused BBC London News of bias in its coverage of the war in Ukraine. He Tweeted: “Just watched @BBCLondonNews. It was total anti-Tory propaganda, majoring on a Brit who drove to Ukraine to ferry refugees back, plus a message to Boris from a tearful Ukraine national demanding more refugees – with Sadiq Khan agreeing. This isn’t journalism. It’s Lefty campaigning.”
He added: “P.S. I’m not a Tory. Just saying it’s not the BBC’s job – or at least it didn’t used to be – to use any political crisis to attack the Tories. It’s not balanced, it’s biased.”
Led by actor Laurence Fox, the Reclaim Party is known for it’s right-wing, “anti-woke” stance including criticism of the Government’s lockdown rules imposed during the coronavirus pandemic.
The party was launched in September 2020 by former London Mayoral candidate Mr Fox, who has made headlines in recent years by rallying against “freedom of speech” issues.
Mr Daubney is a former member of Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party who represented the West Midlands in the European Parliament between 2019 and 2020.
Other Twitter users hit back at Mr Daubney’s accusations, arguing that the coverage did not have a political agenda.
One user named Rich tweeted: “A significant majority of the public feel that the govt needs to be doing much more to help Ukrainian refugees settle in the UK. Meanwhile, Priti Patel is making them feel as unwelcome as she can.
“Reporting these facts is not peddling a narrative, it’s reflecting public opinion.”
Another defended the BBC for highlighting the government’s failure to help people fleeing Ukraine, tweeting: “Its highlighting our appalling response to the situation.”
The Government has faced widespread criticism over its slow response to people fleeing the conflict in Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion of the country on 24 February.
Around 1.7 million refugees have been displaced by the war in Ukraine and Russian troops have ramped-up attacks across the country, including targeting civilians.
The Home Office said on Monday that 300 visas had been issued since Russia invaded the country – a rise from just 50 on Sunday.
READ MORE: ‘Complete tin ear!’ Marr rages at UK lack of Ukraine refugee support
Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised on Monday that the UK would have a “very generous and open approach” to Ukrainian refugees but did not confirm whether more routes would be opened.
He also added that the UK would not “abandon controls altogether”.
More than 1.7 million people have left Ukraine since Russia invaded 11 days ago, according to the United Nations.
The majority are currently in neighbouring countries, with Poland taking in more than a million so far, according to the Polish border agency.
Express.co.uk has contacted the BBC for comment.
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