BBC Question Time host Fiona Bruce was forced to intervene as one audience member said she felt ‘betrayed’ by Labour
Fiona Bruce brought Question Time to an abrupt halt (Image: BBC)
Question Time presenter Fiona Bruce was forced to bring the BBC show to a halt as one audience member repeatedly begged: “Do something!” The programme was off to an explosive start last night (May 29) when one woman in the audience grilled Labour’s transport secretary Heidi Alexander about Israel as the Israel-Palestine conflict rages on.
Beginning calmly, the woman said: “I feel such a sense of betrayal from the Labour Party. I would never vote Tory, I would never vote UKIP [Reform UK] and I used to vote Labour. Why are you still friends with Israel, an apartheid state, and why are you still- why is the Labour Party still sending components of F-35 weapons to Israel that are killing and targeting babies, children, hospitals, schools? Enough of this rhetoric about being anti-Semitic if you support Palestinian babies and children.”
The audience member was left yelling (Image: BBC)
But things quickly escalated, with Fiona forced to interrupt and say: “Okay, okay, let’s let Heidi answer.” The audience member begged: “Wait! I just want to ask Tim [Montgomerie] something as well-“
Fiona cut her off to say: “Well hang on, because I’ve only got about 30 seconds left, so I’m going to let Heidi answer, forgive me.”
She begged: “And then please-“ and Fiona acquiesced: “If I have time, but I must let Heidi answer that.”
Heidi began to argue: “We’re not sending F-35 components-“ but was abruptly cut off by the audience member who yelled: “You are still sending components of F-35 weapons, yes you are.”
Heidi Alexander was barely allowed to get her words out (Image: BBC)
Fiona said: “Let her answer,” but the woman wasn’t done, shouting: “You have reduced weapons by only 8% to Israel! By 8%!” with Fiona admitting: “I hear your passion, I must let her answer.”
Heidi was finally able to say: “I find it as sickening and as harrowing as every single person in this audience seeing those images on television of children wandering around rubble who are never going to find their parents and who are being starved to death. That is why we have got to find a way-“ before she was cut off once again, with the audience member shouting: “Do something!”
She forged ahead: “-of finding a sustainable solution to the region and lasting peace, and getting significant humanitarian aid in. Because none of us want to wake up tomorrow and see those scenes on our television screens, and I think every single one of us on that panel would agree with that sentiment.”
Fiona wrapped up the segment by saying: “Listen, we will come back to the subject of Gaza, there is no question about that. We’ve covered it many times and we will cover it again, and I hear your passion about this subject and everyone on the panel understands that you feel very strongly about it.”
