BBC prepares to boost Ukip coverage as it ranks it a larger party in election
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Version 0 of 1. The BBC is gearing up to increase its coverage of Ukip in the general election, after concluding that the party has “demonstrated a substantial increase in electoral support” since 2010. However, while in its draft electoral guidelines published on Thursday the BBC ranks Ukip with the “larger parties” – the Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats – it indicated that it still considered the Greens to be among the “smaller parties”. The draft electoral guidelines, which will help BBC producers decide the relative level of coverage political parties can expect during the formal general election campaign period, 30 March to 7 May, appear to echo media regulator Ofcom’s initial conclusions earlier this month about how Ukip and the Greens should be treated by broadcasters. Ukip is listed alongside the Conservatives, Labour and the Lib Dems as being among the “larger parties in Great Britain”. “In England and Wales, since 2010 when it secured 3.1% of the vote, Ukip has demonstrated a substantial increase in electoral support in subsequent and different types of elections and there is consistent and robust evidence of increased support across relevant opinion polling,” the BBC stated. As a result: “UK-wide programmes must ensure that Ukip is given appropriate levels of coverage in output to which the largest parties contribute and, on some occasions, similar levels of coverage.” There is “some evidence of increased electoral support since 2010” for the Green party, according to the draft guidelines, as well as more MEPs and local councillors. “UK-wide programmes must ensure that the Greens are given proportionate levels of coverage in output to which the larger parties contribute, and, on occasion, similar levels of coverage, if appropriate,” the trust concluded. The Tories and Labour should receive “broadly similar levels of coverage” – and the Lib Dems similar levels to the two largest parties “in many programmes and formats” – across the UK. In relation to BBC Scotland, Labour, the SNP, Tories and Lib Dems secured a “substantial share of the vote” in Scotland in the 2010 poll and “will receive similar levels of coverage” in this year’s general election. The draft guidelines propose that BBC Scotland treats the Scottish Green party and Ukip as equals, in that they should “receive coverage proportionate to the larger parties [in Scotland], including, on occasion, similar levels of coverage”. As regards BBC Wales, “on many occasions ... Ukip will receive similar levels of coverage to the other four larger [Welsh] parties” – the Tories, Labour, Lib Dems and Plaid Cymru. For BBC Northern Ireland, the draft guidelines list the DUP, Sinn Fein, Ulster Unionists, SDLP and Alliance party as parties that secured a “substantial share of the vote and/or representation” in 2010. The DUP and Sinn Fein should receive “similar levels of coverage”, while the other three should get similar coverage to the two largest parties “in some output” - including debates, items detailing distinctive policies and sequences of interviews with party leaders and other senior figures. Overall, the draft BBC guidelines state that while each individual programme must ensure that its coverage is proportionate between any parties covered, there is no “set mathematical formula” for how much time is given to each. “However, there must be good editorial reasons for any significant variation and these cannot supersede the over-riding obligation for due impartiality and fairness,” it said. The BBC Trust is opening the draft guidelines to a four-week public consultation, during which the political parties and others will have the opportunity to make submissions. Last week, Ofcom, the broadcasting regulator, suggested that the Green party does not have sufficient support to qualify for “major party status” in the general election, but that Ukip may well have. Ofcom’s proposals are also open to consultation. The Greens have been lobbying to be included in the TV leader election debates, and the Ofcom proposal is considered to have harmed the party’s chances. However the regulator has stressed that it is up to the broadcasters to decide who should participate. Prime minister David Cameron has threatened not to take part unless the Greens are given a place in the televised debates. On Wednesday the leaders of Labour, the Liberal Democrats and Ukip wrote to Cameron saying they will press ahead with the TV debates without him if he does not agree to take part. Broadcasters are considering how to respond and facing calls from some quarters to “empty chair” the Conservative leader if he refuses to take part. |