THE BBC is facing calls to issue a formal apology after a presenter echoed far-right rhetoric about asylum seekers.
On Wednesday morning, BBC Good Morning Scotland host Gary Robertson was interviewing SNP MP Stephen Gethins when he asked if anti-immigration protesters outside Home Office hotels had “a point” that asylum seekers are given advantages that aren’t given to “the indigenous population”.
The use of the term “indigenous” has long been used by the far right to describe white people in Britain, as well as more widely in racist European movements.
In one social media post last year which almost exactly echoes Robertson’s question, far-right agitator Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – known as Tommy Robinson – wrote: “Asylum seekers and economic migrants [are] getting social housing before tax paying indigenous Brits.”
Gethins called out the rhetoric live on the air, saying: “Well, I'm not sure what you mean, first of all, by the ‘indigenous population’?”
Robertson said he meant “those born here”, prompting the MP to respond: “You know 10 million people in the UK who are UK citizens were not born here. So do they fall within the category of non-indigenous, Gary?
“That’s 10 million people in the UK. That's a huge proportion of the UK population that you've just disenfranchised there.”
The BBC host responded: “Forgive me for my clumsy language, but you understand the point that they are making, which is they believe people are perhaps living in the lap of luxury, that kind of thing, in hotels, and other people who live here are struggling with the cost of living crisis, for instance, we've just seen bills going up again.”
The broadcaster is now facing calls to issue a formal apology.
Green MSP Mark Ruskell wrote on social media: “This is absolutely awful.
“@BBCScotlandNews must formally apologise for classing people in this way.
“No context either about asylum seekers being unable to work and living on £6 a day.”
Asylum seekers are not given the right to work, except in some cases following more than 12 months within the Home Office system at “no fault of their own”, and even then only in certain professions.
Asylum seekers in “full-board” hotel accommodation are given a weekly allowance of £9.95 to cover any additional costs, up from the £8.86 allowance they were given until June 2025.
People in standard accommodation are given £49.18 per week, roughly £7 per day, to pay for food, toiletries, clothing, and other essentials.
The pro-independence social media account MSM Monitor also called for an apology for the BBC, questioning Robertson’s “lap of luxury” remark as well as his “indigenous population” comment.
“This gets worse every time we hear it,” the account wrote.
“‘Forgive me for my clumsy language’ isn't good enough. BBC Scotland needs to issue an apology and confirm Robertson's language is unacceptable.”
A BBC spokesperson said: "Journalists often raise attributed contrary points when interviewing politicians.
"This is commonplace and helps audiences understand a wide range of views. In this case Gary also specifically clarified his use of the term during the interview."
