BBC Question Time has come under fire after a member of the audience was outed as a Conservative campaigner.
Constitution Secretary Angus Robertson could be heard saying “Tory activist” as a man in the audience criticised the Scottish Government for pushing ahead with a second independence referendum.
The topical questions show was in Inverness on Thursday night with the SNP MSP being joined by Tory MSP Craig Hoy, comedian Susie McCabe, Labour MSP Pam Duncan-Glancy and Spectator editor Fraser Nelson.
Discussions around the Scottish Government's indyref2 announcement took centre stage at the show, with one audience member taking aim at the SNP plans.
The man criticised SNP’s record on education and the NHS as he called indyref2 "nonsense”.
As the panel discussed drug deaths in Scotland, host Fiona Bruce took a question from “the man there with the glasses and the blue shirt".
He told the panel: “We’ve just come out of a pandemic, we’ve got a cost of living crisis, education is going down the toilet, the NHS waiting list is as long as your arm, perhaps a little bit longer, but who cares? Let's have a referendum.
“What nonsense.”
📺 @AngusRobertson outs a "leading Tory activist" in the #bbcqt audience, and then completely dismantles the anti-democratic arguments. Regardless of whether you're Yes, No, Labour, Tory or undecided, Scotland's future should be up to the people - not politicians - to decide. pic.twitter.com/DenuI5aYX5
— Olaf Stando 🌻 (@olafdoesstuff) June 30, 2022
Bruce then asked Robertson: “Do you think that’s a legitimate question? I heard you say ‘Tory activist’ right there.”
The Scottish minister replied: “Well, I’m delighted. We know one another well from my time being the member of parliament for Moray where the [man] was a leading Conservative Party activist so we take a different view on all of this.
“The point that I’m trying to make this evening is that we will be on different sides of the argument about whether Scotland should be independent or not but regardless of our political affiliation, regardless of whether we are Yes or No voters, do we trust the people to decide?
“And for Fraser [Nelson] and others to blithely talk as if the issue has not been debated at length and the people have voted on an election in Scotland on this where Craig [Hoy] you lost on this in East Lothian against the SNP, I would have hoped that you would have learned your lesson standing against a referendum was not the popular choice in East Lothian."
Robertson said people in most constituencies across Scotland returned SNP members.
He continued: “The parliament has been elected with a record majority, the biggest ever - I don’t know why you are shaking your head Fraser – it is the biggest ever majority in the Scottish Parliament in favour of a referendum and that should take place in the first half of this parliament.
“Of course, we can debate about all these issues that are really important but the idea you park democracy, you break democracy, that you take people’s choice away from them, that is not acceptable in a country where democracy should be at the heart of our life.”
Tory activist trying to pass himself off as an ordinary 'Question Time' audience member. Angus spots him and outs him as a Tory politician masquerading. Wonder what he told the #bbcqt production team on his application?..... https://t.co/n8beRTvzFC
— JOHN NICOLSON M.P. (@MrJohnNicolson) July 1, 2022
SNP MP John Nicholson criticised the man for not declaring his party affiliations.
He tweeted: "Tory activist trying to pass himself off as an ordinary 'Question Time' audience member. Angus spots him and outs him as a Tory politician masquerading. Wonder what he told the #bbcqt production team on his application?"
Labour MSP Duncan-Glancy took issue with Robertson's comments on indyref2, accusing the SNP of "breaking democracy" with its plans to use the next general election as a "defacto" referendum if one cannot take place before them.
The Glasgow politician said: "To sit there and say that that is about breaking democracy, breaking democracy is to say that we get to a general election next year on a single-issue thing.
"You're honestly going to the polls next year and only have independence on the ballot paper when people care about so much more than that and you think it's everybody else that's got a problem with democracy?"
