Naga Munchetty ignites BBC ‘bias’ row after ‘confrontational’ clash with Reform’s Zia Yusuf: ‘Sneering and DISRESPECTFUL!’

A number of BBC Breakfast viewers have been left unimpressed with presenter Naga Munchetty thanks to her line of questioning and conduct towards Reform UK’s Zia Yusuf on Friday.

The head of Reform’s Department of Government Efficiency joined the BBC show via video link from his party’s National Conference in Birmingham, where he faced several probes from Ms Munchetty regarding leader Nigel Farage’s policies.

On the agenda for the presenter was the news that Nadine Dorries had defected to Reform UK from the Conservatives, as well as Mr Farage’s pledge to deport up to 600,000 migrants should he come into power.

During the interview, Mr Yusuf defiantly stood by Mr Farage’s promises and the latest moves by Reform UK, while Ms Munchetty found herself persistently talking over the head of DOGE during a rather heated exchange.

“Nigel is very clear,” Mr Yusuf said regarding Reform UK’s deportation pledge. “Phase one of the program, we will address fighting-age men and adults who are in this country illegally. It would be foolish, foolish to not do, to do otherwise.”

Ms Munchetty then quizzed: “But you believe that women should be deported, and children?”

Mr Yusuf stood firm: “Here’s our message; if you are in this country illegally, if you’re in this country illegally, you should not expect to stay under a Reform government. Deportation command will find you, detain you, and deport you.”

“Regardless of age or sex?” Ms Munchetty asked, prompting Mr Yusuf to answer: “Well, again, we’ve got to start somewhere, and that’s the point Nigel’s made.

“Nigel is now preparing for government. We are taking seriously the important work of getting ready for government. We’re not going to be like Labour.

“Again, if the British people see fit to elect a Reform government, we will come into power with a plan. And so we are very clear, we are very clear what deportation command will focus on.”

Ms Munchetty had begun to talk over Mr Yusuf during his answer before she eventually reeled off: “But I don’t believe you are clear.”

But Mr Yusuf was undeterred: “It’s not the women, it’s not the children that mothers in Epping are protesting against. It’s the fighting-age males. That in many cases are terrorising local communities.”

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Stoney-faced, Ms Munchetty grilled: “Terrorising local communities? Can you expand on that?”

“In some cases, yes,” Mr Yusuf insisted, prompting Ms Munchetty to claim: “It’s a broad generalisation, isn’t it? It’s a dangerous broad generalisation.”

Mr Yusuf quickly slapped away Ms Munchetty’s assertion: “No, with respect, not if I say in some cases, which is what I said. I think it’s you who’s actually twisting what I said.

“You just had a guilty verdict – I mean, this is not a subjective assertion – you just had a guilty verdict of a very grim crime on a minor by such a person.

“There’s data from the government — again, these are not subjective assertions — that, for example, Afghan nationals are over 20 times more likely to be convicted of a sex offence than British people.

“These are government statistics, and they might make people feel uncomfortable, but one of the reasons the country is in the state that it’s in is because we have not had politicians with the courage to have this conversation.”

The pair’s seeming differences of opinion continued when Ms Munchetty quizzed Mr Yusuf on Ms Dorries’ defection to Reform UK.

“Are you delighted that she’s joined Reform UK?” she asked, to which Mr Yusuf replied he was.

“Okay, is Nigel Farage delighted that she’s joined Reform UK?” she probed further, resulting in Mr Yusuf insisting: “He absolutely is. I spoke to him last night, and he was delighted.”

Ms Munchetty then reeled off an interview Mr Farage had conducted back in 2022 in which he said that then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson was a “goner” if Ms Dorries was his supporter.

Mr Yusuf explained how opinions had changed, pointing out: “Well, if you go and read what Nadine wrote in the Daily Mail yesterday, and if you listen to her interview, she is clear the Tory Party is dead.

“I think it’s clear now too that any notion that Boris Johnson will come back into British politics is also for the birds-“

‘In the past Nigel Farage has been disparaging about Nadine Dorries, what’s changed?’

On #BBCBreakfast Zia Yusuf was questioned about the decision by former Conservative minister Nadine Dorries to defect to Reform UKhttps://t.co/CXCrTC3jPW pic.twitter.com/ZbSxkrl9jR

— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) September 5, 2025

But Ms Munchetty cut in: “That wasn’t the implication of my question, sorry if that wasn’t clear. You’ve said that Nadine Dorries has said that the Tory Party is dead, but in the past, Nigel Farage has been disparaging about Nadine Dorries, saying if the Prime Minister’s defence was her, then he’s a goner.

“That’s very disparaging. What’s changed in terms of his opinion of her as a politician?”

Mr Yusuf tried to explain once more: “Well, Nigel has known Nadine for a number of years. This is party politics. She was obviously part of the Conservative Party at the time. Nigel obviously deeply disagreed with the approach.

“I think, frankly, Boris Johnson did betray the country in a very serious way. He is in no small part the reason why the country has been overrun, and our public service has been overrun in the way that they have done.

WATCH HERE: Former Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries has defected to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK

“But what’s happened now is, as I said, Nadine has laid into the Tory record and has announced that, in her view, the Tory Party is dead, and we agree with her.”

Ms Munchetty soon bid Mr Yusuf farewell, but it’s safe to say her tone and approach to the interview with the Reform UK representative didn’t sit well with several watching at home.

“The most embarrassing, ridiculous interview of low IQ. BBC gotchas. Just shows why Reform will win and why the BBC is (dead),” one X user fumed.

“The BBC does not represent us anymore, they don’t care about Britain or our women and children, the BBC is the reason we got into this mess.”

Elsewhere, a second X user hit out: “The BBC is finished, you are completely out of touch with what the public are demanding.”

“Naga positively bristling with contempt here,” a third claimed before a fourth slammed the presenter: “I thought the Naga lady had gone. She needs to. So confrontational. Pathetic. She must be an absolute nightmare to work with.”

“@TVNaga01 was her usual sneering, disrespectful, obtuse, ignorant self. She shows her bias against @reformparty_uk,” a fifth claimed before a sixth raged: “Is perennial idiot @TVNaga01 seriously implying women don’t commit crime or terrorist acts and that children don’t grow up to commit crime? I know she’s very, very stupid, but this is a new performative low.”

However, Ms Munchetty did receive some support from other viewers who felt she pushed Mr Yusuf effectively. Others felt Reform UK shouldn’t have been given a platform on the BBC.

“@TVNaga01 so glad you pushed him,” one supporter weighed in on the debate.

And a second echoed: “Absolutely stunning work from Naga Munchetty on #BBCBreakfast… Zia Yusuf is being ripped to shreds.” (sic)