Fiona Bruce badgers Tory MP EIGHT times for answer

Fiona Bruce badgers Tory MP EIGHT times for answer

Fiona Bruce asks Tory MP Richard Holden for answer eight times

BBC
Georgia Pearce

By Georgia Pearce


Published: 06/10/2023

- 13:18

Updated: 06/10/2023

- 19:23

Bruce repeatedly asked Richard Holden if he would use the word 'hurricane' to describe migrants

BBC Question Time host Fiona Bruce repeatedly hounded Conservative MP Richard Holden on the show.

Holden was asked the same question repeatedly, a total of eight times, as to whether he would use the word "hurricane" to describe migrants.


This follows Suella Braverman's keynote speech at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester, where the Home Secretary compared migration to a "hurricane".

Braverman added that the "wind of change" that carried her parents across the globe was a "mere gust compared to the hurricane that is coming".

Fiona Bruce and Richard Holden appear on BBC Question Time

Fiona Bruce asked Richard Holden the same question eight times

BBC

Appearing on the Question Time panel, Bruce asked Holden for his opinion on the comments.

Bruce first asked: "Do you support the use of Suella Braverman’s language?"

Holden replied: "Look, it's a language that she's chosen to use in this context."

Bruce interrupted him, saying: "Would you use the word hurricane?"

Holden explained: "Well, I think it basically highlights, as Tony said earlier on, the fact that there are so many people around the world who are wanting to move for all sorts of reasons.

"You can totally understand why they would want to move. But there is there are so many people, the West could not take those numbers of people."

The other panellists on the show looked visibly frustrated as Bruce pressed Holden again, asking: "would you use that word?"

Holden attempted to answer again before being interrupted: "Well I mean, it's a sign of, she's highlighting the size of the problem."

Richard Holden MP appears on BBC Question Time

Richard Holden became increasingly frustrated as Fiona Bruce pressed him for an answer

BBC

Bruce asked a fourth time: "Would you yes or no?" , to which Labour MP Jonathan Ashworth jibed "he's not going to answer".

Holden said: "What she’s doing is highlighting the size of the problem."

Bruce claimed: "You're not answering the question. Would you use the word hurricane, yes or no?"

Holden answered again admitting: "Well I've not used it no."

The audience laughed as Bruce then replied: "So no, you wouldn't use it. Is that what you're saying? Am I getting answer the question or not? Would you use the word hurricane? just say yes or no."

Holden appeared to grow tired of the repeated question, stating: "All she's doing is highlighting the size of the problem. It's not how I would have described it, but what she's trying to do is highlight the size of the problem that the world faces at the moment in time."

Bruce finally accepted Holden's answer, saying: "Okay you’ve answered. It's not a word you would use."

Viewers took to Twitter to blast the BBC presenter's interviewing style.

Brad Pittkin wrote: " Pick a weak Tory politician to bully , add three or four lefty wokerati, a hand picked lefty studio audience ..topped off by Fiona Bruce.

"The perfect recipe for biased BBC viewing."

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