Dear John,

The Liberal Democrats are the largest third party in Parliament for 100 years. We’re the second party of local government, controlling more councils than the Conservatives.

Reform UK have four MPs (figure correct as of this week) and fewer than one third of the councillors we do.

So why is the BBC following Farage around like a lost puppy, providing Reform with wall to wall coverage and fanning the flames of their dangerous and divisive rhetoric?

Farage’s recent press conference, where he announced his immigration (so-called) ‘policy’, ran all day on the BBC’s home and politics pages – a favour rarely afforded to other political leaders. They’ve even given him coverage for making a statement that he’s not in favour of immigration, which will have come as news to absolutely nobody.

We can’t stand idly by while the BBC acts this way. That’s why today I wrote to the director of Ofcom to demand the BBC provide proportional coverage of political parties year-round.

Currently, broadcasters are only obliged to do this during a regulated period in the lead up to elections, with weighting based on a party’s parliamentary heft. This is an important part of our democracy - but we believe it should be the case at all times.

You can help our campaign by signing our petition below and sharing it with your friends and family.

The BBC has a global reputation for being a fair and independent broadcaster. We value that and want to keep it that way.

But right now, the corporation is letting the public down.

As our national broadcaster, the BBC has a duty to keep the public informed. It fulfils a vital role in our democracy. People expect and deserve balanced news coverage from it, especially in this age of online disinformation.

Instead, despite their scant representation in Parliament, Reform is being given special treatment denied to others.

John, the only way to counter Farage’s hateful and divisive politics is with fair and representative journalism that makes space for more decent voices. For that, we need a balanced BBC.

Please support our campaign today.

Best wishes,