The BBC and presenter Geeta Guru-Murthy have been criticised by former Labour MP Bill Rammell after branding Nigel Farage "inflammatory" during his speech in Dover.
Speaking at the Reform UK press conference in Dover, Farage quoted Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on migration and warned of the "wave of aggressive young males that are coming into Poland, having crossed the Mediterranean".
Following their coverage of the conference, Guru-Murthy said Farage's speech had used "inflammatory language".
Shortly after the remarks were made, an apology was issued and the broadcaster claimed Guru-Murthy's actions "didn't meet the BBC's editorial standards on impartiality".
Bill Rammell says the BBC were in 'clear breach' of the Ofcom rules
PA / GB News
Reacting to the comments on GB News, former MP Bill Rammell said the remarks were a "clear breach" of the Ofcom regulations.
Rammell admitted: "I disagree with about 95 per cent of what Nigel Farage says, but I think the BBC broke the Ofcom editorial guidelines by making that statement today."
GB News host Michelle Dewberry hit out at the BBC and said the comment was "ridiculous" and an "embarrassing" incident for the company.
Rammell also noted that he "welcomed" Guru-Murthy and the BBC's apology, as well as their efforts to "rectify the situation".
Nigel Farage gave a speech in Dover for Reform where he quoted Polish leader Donald Tusk
PA
Michelle and Rammell were also joined on the panel by former MEP Annunziata Rees-Mogg, who agreed that the BBC were in "clear breach" of impartiality guidelines but was "glad" that they issued an apology in light of the backlash.
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Rees-Mogg told GB News: "It was clearly a breach, and I'm glad she's apologised. She shouldn't have thought it and said it.
"He did make it exceptionally clear that he was quoting Donald Tusk, who is so far from being a Brexiteer Little Englander as you could possibly get, and I think he was demonstrating how broad the fears on this subject are, not quoting himself."
Michelle noted previous occasions where broadcasters have demonstrated "snobbery" against Reform, and how the party have been labelled "far-right" in several incidences where they have displayed the Union Jack flag.
She added: "The words far-right have just become so meaningless. They're chucked around like confetti - they've just become meaningless now."
Annunziata Rees-Mogg says the BBC were in 'clear breach' of the Ofcom code
GB News
Rees-Mogg agreed with Michelle, criticising the "London metropolitan elite" for "throwing terms around for nonsensical reasons".
Rees-Mogg explained: "Words worse than far-right are thrown about for nonsensical reasons as well. People on the right of politics are regularly called Nazis, though they would have the polar opposite beliefs to the very awful Nazi Party.
"I think the media has a tendency to be part of the London metropolitan elite, and they don't actually know what's going on in the rest of the country or how people are thinking."
Rammell then added: "I think there's abuse on both sides - there is abuse of people on the right, there's certainly abuse of people on the left.
"And I'm a passionate believer in free speech and open debate, and the broadcasting regulations need to enable that to happen. It needs, particularly in the election campaign, broadcasters who don't overstep the mark by criticising individual politicians. That happened today and it was wrong."
