The BBC politics show sparked a backlash minutes into the programme.
Fiona Bruce was forced to shut down a Green MP on Question Time (Image: BBC)
Fans of Question Time have demanded host Fiona Bruce be “sacked” after she was forced to shut down a Green Party MP as they debated Sir Keir Starmer’s future in No. 10. During Thursday’s instalment (February 12) of the BBC politics evening show, the 61-year-old broadcaster returned to the helm for the hour-long special broadcast from Bristol. Joining her on the panel tonight were Labour’s Luke Pollard MP, Tory MP Ben Spencer, Reform UK’s Nadine Dorries and Green’s Ellie Chowns MP.
Just minutes into the show, a member of the audience questioned whether the Labour leader is “now a lame duck prime minister” after a chaotic week in power as he fought to save his premiership. His leadership has been called into question in the fallout of Lord Mandelson’s involvement in the latest Epstein scandal.
The presenter went around the panel to ask each politician what they thought of the Labour leader’s position, sparking a heated debate on the show. When it came to the Chowns’ turn, she insisted: “I completely agree, Keir Starmer is absolutely a lame duck.
“He is teetering on the edge of the precipice, and it’s only a matter of time before he is forced to leave. Maybe Labour are just keeping him in position, maybe after the local elections, because he’s a useful fall guy. But in the meantime, he is incredibly weak.”
The conversation then turned to the American software company Palentir, which specialises in big data analytics and artificial intelligence, and they’ve got a contract with the Ministry of Defence.
The Green party MP suggested that there had been some kind of insider influence through Lord Peter Mandelson and possibly Jeffrey Epstein, despite there being no evidence that the American financier was involved with the company.
Viewers pointed out the broadcaster shut down Ellie Chowns throughout the show (Image: BBC)
Labour’s Luke Pollard insisted: “We need artificial intelligence to keep our country safe, to process data faster. We appointed a contract with Palentir through a proper procurement process, and it delivers for our national security. It protects the data in the UK.”
It was at this point that Chowns interrupted, arguing: “It’s directly allocated. There wasn’t a competitive procurement process; that contract was directly allocated to Palentir for the December 2025 contract, and we need to see all of the papers in relation to that.
“You can surely see that it looks dodgy that earlier that year you have a meeting between Starmer, Mandelson and Palentir, Palentir – a company founded by a guy who is terribly cosy with Trump and with Epstein, who is named multiple times in the files.”
Before the debate sparked further debate, Fiona interjected, stating: “I think we’re getting a little bit far away from [the question], ‘Is Keir Starmer now a lame duck prime minister?’ So let’s stick with that.”
It didn’t take long before viewers flocked to X – formerly known as Twitter to share their thoughts minutes into the BBC show. Many viewers called out the host for interrupting the MP throughout the show. One user penned: “Fiona Bruce persistently interrupted and challenged Ellie Chowns, but is silent when Nadine Dorries talks nonsense.”
Another agreed: “IT was the Nadine Dorries show tonight in BBC Question Time. Fiona Bruce quite happily sat there & let her chat rubbish mostly unchallenged. Ellie Chowns was constantly shut down by Bruce. Week after week, it is clear that she is completely biased.”
A third echoed: “The BBC’s looking for cost savings, maybe sack Fiona Bruce and her friend Laura Kuennsberg”, as a fourth chimed in with: “Good on Ellie Chowns for not letting f***ing Fiona Bruce talk down to her.”
