THE BBC have been condemned for including two Labour politicians on Debate Night on the eve of a crucial by-election.
The BBC is hosting a “Glasgow Special” episode of the show tonight, featuring the SNP’s Glasgow Council leader Susan Aitken, Scottish Tory MSP Annie Wells, artist David Eustace as well as both Scottish Labour MSP Paul Sweeney and Labour peer Willie Haughey.
The peer donated over £1 million to the party between 2003 and 2010.
It comes as voters are set to go to the polls tomorrow (Thursday) for the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election, which is widely considered to be a three-horse race between the SNP, Labour and Reform UK.
An SNP source told The National that Debate Night appears to have “thrown the BBC's proposed guidance on balance out of the window” by including two Labour representatives.
"Debate Night appears to have thrown the BBC's proposed guidance on balance out of the window – the night before a crucial by-election,” the source said.
“Does Sir Keir Starmer really need two apologists to back up his woeful record?"
Announcing the guests on social media site X, the BBC described Haughey as an “entrepreneur”.
But the millionaire tycoon (above with Sweeney) was actually made a Labour member of the House of Lords in 2013.
More recently, he gave £3900 to Scottish Labour MP Michael Shanks ahead of the General Election last year.
Scottish Greens councillor Jon Molyneux also called out the BBC.
“Labour MSP and Peer for a "Glasgow Special" but no Glasgow Greens representative despite having 4 times as many elected representatives in the city than the Tories,” he wrote on Twitter/X.
“Farce.”
The SNP also took issue with last week’s BBC Debate Night by-election special for not including the actual candidates.
It comes as Labour’s candidate Davy Russell has repeatedly dodged not only the STV debate earlier this week but also local hustings and radio interviews during the campaign.
The BBC have been approached for comment.
