Reform has blamed the BBC for postponing an interview with party leader Nigel Farage, according to a report.
A senior party source told The I that the broadcaster had never approached the Reform leader despite announcing that he would be interviewed by presenter Nick Robinson on Wednesday evening.
“It wasn’t in Nigel’s diary,” they told the newspaper. “The BBC didn’t approach Nigel to do this interview. Nigel is in the north of England campaigning all day today.
“We had agreed the timing of the interview with Richard [Tice], but since then Nigel has taken over as leader and no one from the BBC has asked us about the interview since then.”
The source added that Mr Farage was unhappy after being left out of the broadcaster’s leadership debates featuring Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer.
The Panorama interview has now been replaced with an episode of drama Tokyo Vice in the BBC One schedule.
The Standard has approached Reform and the BBC for comment.
In a statement, the BBC confirmed that the interview had been “postponed for logistical reasons”.
The BBC broadcast an interview with Prime Minister Mr Sunak on Tuesday, before a grilling with Labour leader Sir Keir airs on Friday.
Other leaders being interviewed by Robinson include the SNP’s John Swinney, Plaid Cymru’s Rhun ap Iorwerth, Green Party’s Adrian Ramsay and the Liberal Democrats’ Sir Ed Davey.
As part of the BBC’s election coverage a two-hour long Question Time leaders’ special will be hosted by Fiona Bruce on June 20.
BBC presenters Laura Kuenssberg and Clive Myrie will host the BBC’s election night coverage.
Earlier on Tuesday, Mr Farage was targeted by a man throwing objects at him during a visit to Barnsley town centre.
The objects missed and Mr Farage said he had previously been warned by police not to get off the bus.
