BBC Question Time ignites ‘licence fee’ row as Fiona Bruce blasted for ‘bias’ in fiery grooming gangs clash
A debate has erupted among BBC viewers regarding supposed “bias” by Question Time host Fiona Bruce following Thursday’s show.
Broadcasting from Northampton, Bruce welcomed Sir Chris Bryant MP, former Conservative culture secretary Nadine Dorries, Lib Dem’s Calum Miller MP, former Labour adviser Baroness Ayesha Hazarika, and economist and journalist Liam Halligan.
There were several talking points for the panel to address, from suggestions to improve the NHS A&E crises, whether Labour’s economic plan was working or not, and whether X owner Elon Musk was a friend or foe to Britain following his social media tirades of late regarding the government’s handling of the grooming gang scandal.
Halligan cut a rather animated yet informative figure throughout the show, even engaging in a fiery war of words with one audience member over Labour’s national insurance hike, branding the discussion “infantile”.
But it was the discussion about Musk that garnered notable traction on social media due to Halligan’s impassioned speech about shifting the focus towards the grooming gang scandal – and the subsequent clash with host Bruce.
The incident came after an audience member asked whether the Tesla CEO was a “friend or foe” to the UK, prompting Bruce to begin: “Elon Musk! We’ve heard quite a lot from him recently. A few groans from the audience.”
Dorries was first to contribute as she said Musk was “definitely a friend”, prompting giggles and derision from some members of the Question Time audience.
“So is he a friend of the UK when he calls for Keir Starmer and Jess Phillips to be in prison? When he calls Jess Phillips a rape genocide apologist?” Bruce interrupted to ask Dorries, receiving raucous applause.
Dorries branded Musk “unpredictable” before reeling off his groundbreaking work in the tech sphere. She added: “I think it’s fair to say he’s not a fan of this government… he’s a disruptor… We can take it or leave it… And I think on grooming gangs, he was absolutely right.”
Bryant was next to chip in where he received applause for saying British people should be the people who decide how the country is run, not Musk.
“Why are we talking about Elon Musk? We should be talking about this absolute scandal”
Liam Halligan believes if Musk’s influence is the driving force for the UK to launch a new national inquiry into grooming gangs, then he hopes Musk “keeps pushing”#bbcqt pic.twitter.com/tlMat5AZCS
— BBC Question Time (@bbcquestiontime) January 16, 2025
Bryant called the grooming gangs scandal “one of the most despicable things that has happened in British society” and suggested Musk’s tirades about the government’s handling of the inquiries may have contributed to Yvette Cooper’s decision to launch a handful of localised inquiries this week.
Next up was Halligan who was keen to share his opinion on the matter: “With all respect to Lorraine [audience member] and her question, I have to say a lot of this conversation about Elon Musk is pure displacement activity. This whole Question Time, the headlines we’ve seen should’ve been all about the grooming gangs scandal-“
“Liam!” Bruce interrupted. “With respect to you, that’s not what Lorraine’s question is, and that’s how it works on Question Time.”
Bruce’s conduct again prompted claps and chuckles from sections of the audience before she told Halligan: “Her question is about, ‘Is Elon Musk a friend or foe?’ And he’s talked not just about grooming, he’s talked about other things as well.”
“Okay,” Halligan replied as he took a deep breath before dismissing Bruce’s objections. “I think complaining about Elon Musk and social media and the internet is a bit like sailors complaining about the sea. It is what it is. The fact that he’s from overseas… we’ve had overseas governors in the Bank of England, we’ve had overseas England football managers – that doesn’t bother me.
“I’m sorry, Fiona, it is displacement activity for us to be arguing about Elon Musk when we should be really drilling down into this grooming gang scandal. We should be calling it the ‘child rape scandal’ because that’s what it is.
“We use euphemistic language, we’ve avoided it for many, many years. Talk to brilliant MPs, as I have, over many years… they have tried for many, many years to raise the issue of child rape scandals in many northern towns, many vulnerable people, and they were rejected by their party and they were ostracised by their party and that’s absolutely outrageous.
“If it takes Elon Musk for us to understand that this is an international scandal and the world is watching and we have to sort it out and we can’t worry about being accused of being politically incorrect and grasping these issues and rescuing people who’ve frankly been abandoned by the political media class… if it takes Elon Musk to point that out…
“There should be a national inquiry, I hope he keeps pushing for a national inquiry,” Halligan defiantly said. “Why won’t Labour have a national inquiry? Is it because their current leader was Director of Public Prosecutions during a lot of this period?
“I am passionate about this. I have two daughters. It is an absolutely outrageous thing. Why are we talking about Elon Musk? We should be talking about this scandal. I think it’s one of the biggest scandals in British history.”
Halligan was met with a spattering of support from the BBC crowd, although his impassioned speech has since gone viral on X with one user garnering 125k views and counting after sharing the moment online. Question Time’s own page has received 100k views of the moment.
However, Bruce has received some support from social media users who also dished criticism Halligan’s way after he appeared to shrug at her counterpoint.
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“When the woman [Professor Alexis Jay] who spent seven years compiling the report on child abuse, which included grooming… says, ‘There’s no point in having a national inquiry just get on and do the recommendations I’ve suggested’. Does she not know more about it than you?” Bruce argued, prompting Halligan to suggest launching both kinds of inquiry.
“She’s saying a national inquiry is a waste of time,” Bruce repeated as Halligan struggled to reply before Bryant intervened. The audience, once again, cheered on Bruce.
Despite Halligan’s impassioned speech, only a percentage of the audience applauded his efforts and Hazarika soon took the lead to brand Musk “not fit to lick the boots” of the aforementioned Phillips over his “disgusting” social media posts.
The manner of Bruce’s remarks to Halligan and her persistent interruptions soon came under fire from BBC viewers who watched the debate unfold, however.
Reacting to an X user who published a clip of Halligan’s grooming gangs speech on the social media platform, many fans rushed to his defence and applauded his defiance despite Bruce’s interjections.
“Made the mistake of watching this to watch the excellent @LiamHalligan,” one X user wrote as they suggested it was time to stop paying the licence fee. “If that was a representative audience of the uk we are totally f*****. Fiona Bruce outwardly hostile to Liam. The BBC can not be defunded quickly enough.”
Elsewhere, a second praised: “Excellent from Liam. The most surprising thing the audience applauded, even after Fiona Bruce tried to shut him down.”
A third echoed: “Experts like Liam Halligan should refuse to appear on #bbcqt as they will never be able to get their views known due to the… bias of Fiona Bruce and the BBC!”
And a fourth harshly blasted Bruce: “Just as good was to see Halligan put the insufferable Fiona Bruce in her place! She’d got sniffy & told him off for deviating.. to get back to the question, because ‘That’s what this programme is all about’. Halligan continued & did not allow her to check him. He was right.”
“Well done Liam Halligan. Incredibly lucid response to a BBC QT with host Fiona Bruce at its worst,” a fifth hit out before a sixth argued: “Liam’s point is correct, the discussion about Elon Musk is really all about deflecting from important issues that politicians don’t want to discuss. Therefore Liam IS addressing the ladies question. Well done Liam.” (sic)
GB News has contacted the BBC for comment on the backlash.