Question Time viewers fume 'why do I pay licence fee' over Fiona Bruce 'bias'

Question Time fans were less than impressed with the episode, which aired last night (Thursday, November 6), with many taking to social media to vent their frustrations over host Fiona Bruce. Joining her on the show were Daily Telegraph columnist Tim Stanley, Anna Turley MP, Labour Party chair; for the Conservatives, former energy minister Graham Stuart, as well as general secretary of the TUC, Paul Nowak.

During the episode, Bruce asked Stanley: "Should Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves resign if they raise taxes and break their manifesto commitment?" Viewers hit out on X, formerly known as Twitter, over the question, with one person appearing to accuse Bruce of bias by venting: "Sorry, what pardon? Did Fiona Bruce ever ask a question like this over Boris Johnson or Rishi Sunak?"

Good Morning Britain star Narinder Kaur replied: "The demand for Starmer to resign over the most mundane things is actually WILD."

A third added: "Fiona, my question to you is, 'Should the BBC rename itself GB News 2?" There is zero reason for me to pay the licence fee if you are going to be so openly biased."

A fourth remarked: "Fiona Bruce couldn't show her Conservative allegiance more if she dressed in blue and wore a Tory rosette."

A firth said in defence of Bruce: "Who cares? It's good, she asked now." Another echoed: "Whether she did or not, it's a very reasonable question."

Bruce has hosted Question Time since 2019, following David Dimbleby's 25-year tenure as presenter of the programme.

In 2023, the BBC received complaints from some people questioning her impartiality due to "alleged connections between her husband and the Conservative Party".

The BBC issued a statement at the time, which read: "We believe it's important to recognise that Fiona Bruce's opinions are not defined by her husband. As with all BBC journalists, she is expected to be impartial in her role in the BBC, and we are satisfied that she is.

"For the record, Fiona Bruce's husband Nigel Sharrocks has never donated to the Conservative Party."

Question Time airs on Thursdays at 9pm on BBC One.