Labour’s shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott claims ‘hostile atmosphere’ on Question Time

The BBC has hit back at Diane Abbott’s claims that Question Time ‘whipped up’ a racist and sexist atmosphere amid claims she singled out before and during the show.

The shadow Home Secretary said she was picked on and interrupted more than any other panellist by the show’s new presenter Fiona Bruce, who was chairing the show for the second time.

Following the allegations made by Abbott, BBC responded saying: ‘We are sorry to hear Diane Abbott’s concerns over Thusday night’s edition of Question Time and we have contacted her team today to reassure them that reports circulating on social media are inaccurate and misleading. 

‘Diane is a regular and important contributor to the programme. As we said earlier, we firmly reject claims that any of the panel was treated unfairly either before or during the recording.’   

A spokesman for Abbott said: ‘We are appalled by the treatment of Diane Abbott on BBC’s Question Time. 

‘It was clear that a hostile atmosphere was whipped up, propped up by reports of inappropriate and sexist commentary in the audience warm-up session.

‘A public broadcaster like the BBC should be expected to be a model of impartiality and equality.’ 

They told the Guardian: ‘The BBC cannot claim anything of the sort when analysis of the programme shows that the only black woman on the panel was jeered at and interrupted more times than any other panellist, including by the chair herself.’

A spokesman for Diane Abbott (pictured on the programme) said it was ‘clear that a hostile atmosphere was whipped up’ against the Labour frontbencher 

Diane Abbott (right) said she had been 'jeered at and interrupted more times than any other panellist' on the flagship BBC programme presented by Fiona Bruce (left)

Diane Abbott (right) said she had been ‘jeered at and interrupted more times than any other panellist’ on the flagship BBC programme presented by Fiona Bruce (left)

A number of left-wingers took to Twitter to condemn Abbott's treatment on Question Time

A number of left-wingers took to Twitter to condemn Abbott’s treatment on Question Time

‘The media must stop legitimising mistreatment, bias and abuse against Ms Abbott as a black woman in public life. The BBC should be ashamed that their programming is complicit in such behaviour.’ 

During the programme, Abbott clashed with panellist Isabel Oakeshott about Labour’s standing in the polls.  

Two Twitter users who said they were audience members claimed Ms Abbott had also been targeted in the warm-up to the show.  

Diane Abbott’s full statement 

A spokesman for Abbott said: ‘We are appalled by the treatment of Diane Abbott on BBC’s Question Time. 

‘It was clear that a hostile atmosphere was whipped up, propped up by reports of inappropriate and sexist commentary in the audience warm-up session.

‘A public broadcaster like the BBC should be expected to be a model of impartiality and equality.’ 

The told the Guardian: ‘The BBC cannot claim anything of the sort when analysis of the programme shows that the only black woman on the panel was jeered at and interrupted more times than any other panellist, including by the chair herself.’

‘The media must stop legitimising mistreatment, bias and abuse against Ms Abbott as a black woman in public life. The BBC should be ashamed that their programming is complicit in such behaviour.’ 

One audience member claimed on Twitter that there was ‘was some humour at Diane’s expense from BBC staff before the recording’.

Another said: ‘The way they stoked up the anti Dianne Abbott sentiment before hand was appalling.’ 

The audience clapped noisily when Ms Abbott was challenged by Miss Bruce  about Mr Corbyn’s decision to boycott Theresa May’s Brexit talks.

Last night Momentum claimed the MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington received ‘far more and abuse and attacks than white, male Tories’. 

Several other left-wingers have rallied behind Abbott following the show.

Aaron Bastani, a pro-Corbyn advocate, tweeted: ‘Let me get this straight. When Diane Abbott ‘gets the numbers wrong’ it means everyone can mock her and tell her she shouldn’t have a senior job. When a white lady is wrong about the polls, and another one inaccurately says she’s right, nobody mentions a thing.’

Faiza Shaheen wrote: ‘Disgusted by this. BBC needs to apologise and ensure nothing like this happens again.’

Another wrote: ‘Reminder: Diane Abbott is a fierce politician who fought against prejudice to become our parliament’s first black female MP Despite being the most abused woman in Britain she goes to work every day fighting for social justice for each & every one of us. Have some respect.’   

Labour splits deepened last night after Diane Abbott warned against a second referendum – even though 71 of Jeremy Corbyn’s MPs called for one earlier this week.

The Shadow Home Secretary predicted another national vote would give the same result.

Appearing on Question Time, she said Remainer MPs calling for a re-run of the 2016 poll should ‘be careful what they wished for’. Jeremy Corbyn is continuing to push for a general election but has refused to rule out a fresh referendum.

It emerged yesterday he faced a dozen resignations from his frontbench if he supported a new vote, amid fears of a backlash in Leave-voting constituencies.

Miss Abbott said of a second vote: ‘My view, and I voted Remain, is that if we had a People’s Vote tomorrow, Leave would win again and you would just have a lot of very angry Leave voters.’ 

The BBC ‘firmly rejected’ claims that Ms Abbott, the first black woman MP, had been treated unfairly on the show in Derby, which voted to Leave in the referendum by 57 to 43 per cent. 

In one combative exchange during the programme the shadow home secretary hit back at incorrect claims that Labour was struggling in the polls. 

Isabel Oakeshott said Labour was ‘miles behind’ the Conservatives in the polls, saying it was a ‘damning indictment’ of party leader Jeremy Corbyn. 

The two parties have been neck-and-neck in recent polls with Labour ahead in some surveys while another showed the Tories with a lead of five points.  

Ms Abbott said the parties were ‘level pegging’ and pointed out that Mr Corbyn had substantially narrowed the Tories’ poll lead during the 2017 election campaign. 

The Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP has previously spoken out of the abuse she has received over social media. 

Research by Amnesty International has revealed Abbott received almost half of all the abusive tweets sent to female MPs in the run-up to the general election in 2017.

Of the 140,000 tweets mentioning Abbott’s Twitter handle, one in 20 were deemed abusive.  

Abbott said was not ‘surprised’ by the figures but asid it was ‘sickening to see it in figures’. 

She said previously: ‘It’s highly racialised and it’s also gendered because people talk about rape and they talk about my physical appearance in a way they wouldn’t talk about a man. I’m abused as a female politician and I’m abused as a black politician.’

In another statement, the BBC said: ‘We firmly reject claims that any of the Question Time team treated any of the panel unfairly before and during the recording last night.’ 

Other panellists on Thursday night’s programme included Conservative MP Rory Stewart, SNP MP Kirsty Blackman, politics professor Anand Menon and journalist Isabel Oakeshott. 

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