Latest news with #JuneMummery
The National
28-05-2025
- Business
- The National
BBC admits error after interview with Reform UK spokesperson
It comes after the national broadcaster showed a clip of June Mummery, who ran for Reform UK in the 2024 General Election and remains their fisheries spokesperson, but presented her only as a concerned businessperson. The incident happened in the wake of the UK Government announcing its new Brexit deal with the EU, which was welcomed by many industries but attacked by the fishing sector for extending current arrangements by 12 years until 2038. READ MORE: Industry labels Labour's Brexit reset 'horror show for Scottish fishermen' Reporting from the fishing port of Brixham in Devon on May 20, BBC Breakfast said that they had been unable to find anyone from the industry willing to come in front of the camera to talk about the impact of the deal. Instead, they introduced a spokesperson from 'one business in Lowestoft in Suffolk' – roughly 350 miles away. The spokesperson was identified on screen as June Mummery from BFP Fish Auctioneers, but no further information was given about her. Mummery then told the BBC that she was 'absolutely disgusted' with the new UK-EU deal, adding that 'Brexit was a golden opportunity to take back full control of our ocean, our waters, create thousands of jobs for coastal communities' and Prime Minister Keir Starmer had 'stolen all our aspirations'. The BBC has now admitted that it should have revealed Mummery's connections to Reform UK. Reform UK spokesperson and former Brexit Party MEP June Mummery as she was presented by the BBC (Image: BBC) In a statement on its corrections and clarifications page, the broadcast said: 'In a report on the UK-EU deal a brief clip was aired of June Mummery from BFP Fish Auctioneers in Lowestoft, in which the caption and introduction indicated she was speaking in that capacity. 'We accept that we should also have made clear that she was Reform UK's candidate in the constituency at the last General Election, and is the party's fisheries spokesperson, and we are happy to put that on record.' Mummery was also briefly an MEP for Nigel Farage's Brexit Party before the UK left the EU and it was rebranded as 'Reform UK'.
The National
20-05-2025
- Business
- The National
BBC under fire after hiding Reform UK politician's affiliations
June Mummery, who was briefly a Brexit Party MEP before the UK left the EU and stood for Nigel Farage's rebranded party in the 2024 General Election, was presented by the BBC as a only concerned business owner. The moment came during a broadcast of BBC Breakfast on Tuesday, in which the broadcaster looked at reaction to the UK-EU deal which was announced the previous day – and criticised by the fishing industry for extending the current arrangement with the EU by 12 years until 2038. READ MORE: Labour's Brexit reset is 'horror show for Scottish fishermen', industry says Reporting from the port of Brixham in Devon, the BBC said that they had been unable to find anyone willing to come in front of the camera to talk about the impact of the deal. Instead, they introduced a spokesperson from 'one business in Lowestoft in Suffolk' – the constituency where Mummery stood for Reform UK in 2024. Mummery then came on screen, with the banner naming her company – BFP Fish Auctioneers – but her political affiliation was not revealed. June Mummery was platformed on the BBC without her links to Reform UK and the Brexit Party being made public (Image: BBC) She then said: 'I'm absolutely disgusted from what I've heard. 'When I heard that Keir Starmer was thinking of taking us back in for another four years, I mean, that is awful, but to hear 12, where's this 12 years come from? 'Brexit was a golden opportunity to take back full control of our ocean, our waters, create thousands of jobs for coastal communities, and that man has just stolen all our aspirations.' Mummery was recognised by users on the social media platform BlueSky, who criticised the broadcaster for failing to disclose her political background. According to a publicly available draft of the BBC's Editorial Guidelines, from 2024, the broadcaster should make clear such a contributor's affiliations. READ MORE: Scotland 'absorbed into England' by Acts of Union, says top legal expert The guidance states: 'It should not be assumed that contributors to BBC output are unbiased or impartial … it may be necessary, when relevant, to give appropriate information about affiliations, funding or particular viewpoints.' It adds: 'The key test is to consider whether the audience would be misled if such information was not made available. 'It may also be necessary to consider whether such affiliations might risk undermining trust in the contributor's professional credentials or in the perceived authenticity of their experiences.' According to Reform UK's website, Mummery was their fisheries spokesperson before the 2024 General Election. Nigel Farage's Reform are currently sitting at the top of UK-wide pollsJournalist James Stewart said: 'This is such a basic fail of good journalism. 'There's a massive opp[ortunity] for the BBC to claim the role of trusted source among partial media and AI slop, yet News keeps doing shit like this.' A second user added: 'It looks very much like the BBC Breakfast team either failed to Google 'June Mummery' during the process of agreeing to have her on, or have obscured her Reform UK role.' Journalist Ian Fraser said: 'BBC News being less than transparent about Reform UK's fisheries spokeswoman June Mummery.' The BBC has been approached for comment.
