BBC bias row erupts as Question Time Makerfield special no-platforms Restore Britain despite poll putting them in third and suggesting they will decide outcome of the by-election

By CHRISTIAN CALGIE, SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT-AT-LARGE Published: 06:40, 3 June 2026 | Updated: 06:48, 3 June 2026 A fresh BBC bias row has erupted this morning after Question Time announced plans for a Makerfield by-election special.  Despite the only poll of the constituency so far putting Rupert Lowe's Restore Britain party in third place, behind Labour and Reform UK, the line-up of the show fails to include their candidate.  But much smaller parties such as the Greens, Conservatives, and Liberal Democrats, will be included in tomorrow's special episode.  The failure by the BBC to invite Mr Lowe's candidate, Rebecca Shepherd, onto the programme has sparked new claims of institutional political bias at the corporation.  This morning Mr Lowe erupted with fury, posting on X: 'Restore Britain was not invited on the BBC Question Time Makerfield special. 'The British establishment despise us. 'Makerfield - vote Restore Britain to send the biggest shock in British political history.' The Mail also understands that the party is consulting its legal team over their non-inclusion on the programme.  Rupert Lowe voiced fury this morning at the BBC's decision not to include Restore Britain on the Question Time special The BBC's line-up features the five main national parties, but fails to take into account Restore Britain's local popularity  A spokesman said: 'There is one thing the British establishment does not want Makerfield voters to do. Vote Restore Britain. 'This is yet another attempt from the BBC to suppress our support. They despise Restore Britain and want us to fail.  'Our legal team is being consulted over this blatant election interference and bias. 'We have been very clear - a Restore Britain Government will defund the rotten BBC on day one. It will be glorious.'  The BBC Question Time special from the Greater Manchester constituency will feature all other five main parties' candidates.  Andy Burnham will represent Labour, as he faces his first head-to-head showdown with Reform UK's candidate Robert Kenyon.  The episode will make for fiery TV, after weeks of the two candidates trading barbs in the media.  The Conservatives will be represented by Michael Winstanley; the Lib Dems by Jake Austin, and the Greens by Sarah Wakefield.  According to the one Makerfield poll published during the by-election campaign, Mr Burnham has a tight lead over Reform UK.  Survation put Labour on 43% to Reform's 40%.  Restore Britain accused the BBC of 'blatant election interfering'  Reform has accused Restore of splitting the right-wing vote and helping Andy Burnham But the shock came as it put Restore Britain, until now little talked about in Westminster, in third place on 7%.  The Lib Dems were behind on 4%, the Greens on 3% and the Tories on 2%, meaning they would all lose their deposits if reflected in the real election outcome.  While Restore Britain voices fury at the BBC's decision not to include them on the high-profile show, Reform UK will be cheered.  Last week the Mail revealed Nigel Farage's party's fury at Restore standing in the constituency, and threatening to let Andy Burnham sweep back into Parliament.  A senior Reform source said Mr Lowe is someone who 'cares more about his ego and vanity than what's best for the country'. They added: 'Our internal figures show Restore on a tiny, single-figure percentage. The only thing they can succeed in doing by standing is gifting the seat to Labour and Andy Burnham.' But Mr Lowe hit back: 'The increasingly desperate attacks from every Reform politician proves one thing – their internal data matches what we are finding in Makerfield. 'They have nothing left. Restore Britain is going to make history in Makerfield.' The BBC was approached for comment.   The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.