A BBC journalist broke the UK broadcaster’s impartiality rules when he called Tommy Robinson, the hard-right anti-immigration campaigner, a “sinister and ludicrous” figure.
Daniel De Simone, BBC News’ investigations correspondent, used the phrase to describe Robinson, a vocal supporter of Donald Trump, during a BBC News at Ten bulletin on August 5, 2024.
De Simone was reporting on the fallout from the Southport stabbings, during which three young girls died, sparking anti-immigration riots across the UK. At the time, Robinson (real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon) was abroad in Cyprus, commenting on the riots from a sun lounger.
De Simone described Robinson as an “influential instigator,” adding that he was a “really sinister and ludicrous figure, frankly, who is currently away in Cyprus, hiding, tweeting inflammatory material online, and he’s sitting on a sun lounge in Cyprus tweeting away.”
The BBC’s Executive Complaints Unit, which rules on audience complaints, said: “A description of Mr Yaxley-Lennon in the broadcast as ‘sinister and ludicrous’ went beyond what the [editorial] guidelines allow as a ‘professional judgement rooted in evidence.’
“Whilst Mr Yaxley-Lennon’s record, which includes a five-year prevention order for harassing a journalist and her partner, might have justified the term ‘sinister’ on its own, ‘ludicrous’ as phrased in the comments, although partly prompted by the incongruous situation (beside a pool at a hotel in Cyprus) in which he was pictured, had the effect of applying the term to Mr Yaxley-Lennon personally (which was a matter which divided opinion).”
The Executive Complaints Unit said its ruling was reported to the management of BBC News and discussed with the relevant team.
It comes at an awkward time for the BBC amid its legal fight with Trump after misleadingly editing his January 6 speech to make it appear as if the U.S. president was directly inciting violence. Robinson has repeatedly backed Trump, including cheering on his $10B lawsuit against the BBC. “Finish the BBC off @realDonaldTrump,” Robinson tweeted to his 1.8M followers in November.
