BBC forced to apologise for 'bad language' as Chuka Umunna called 'MAD' during speech
A BBC news microphone appeared to pick up the comment “he’s mad” during Chuka Umunna’s speech at a live press conference, where seven Labour MPs resigned in a mass party split.
Chuka Umunna seemed to be called “mad” during a live press conference on mass resignations within the Labour Party. While Chuka Umunna spoke on the prospect of a new party, the microphone picked up a background whisper appearing to say: “He’s mad”. Other background noises were also heard during the press conference, including the comments “between this and Brexit we’re f******”, “it’s so divided” and “Conservatives are going to win”. BBC presenter Samira Ahmed apologised for the bad language while presenting the Victoria Derbyshire show shortly afterwards.
She said: “I should say for those who were listening to that live news conference, there was some bad language apparently, so we do apologise if anyone was offended by what they might have heard.”
Twitter users reacted to the background noise, with one posting: “#LabourSplit hot mic picks up man saying ‘he's mad’ when @ChukaUmunna is speaking”.
Another said: “Watching #Laboursplit coverage behind time on iPlayer and just heard the sound man say ‘He's mad’ during Chuka Umunna's speech…”
A third added: “Watching the love @BBCNews feed. During @ChukaUmunna’s speech and just before @bbclaurak’s question, you can clearly hear someone in the audience laughing and saying ‘he’s mad’ and ‘with this and Brexit we’re f****d’. Genius. #LabourSplit #saywhatyouthink”
A fourth said: “7 MPs have only left the @UKLabour and someone in the room is picked up by @BBCNews saying ‘He's Mad’ about @ChukaUmunna”.
Mr Umunna, Luciana Berger, Gavin Shuker, Chris Leslie, Angela Smith, Mike Gapes and Ann Coffey have all just resigned from the Labour Party this morning in protest at Jeremy Corbyn's Brexit policies and failure to stop anti-semitism within the party.
Ms Berger, MP for Wavertree, led the walkout, saying she had come to a "sickening" realisation that the party had changed beyond recognition under Jeremy Corbyn.
She said: “From today we will all sit in parliament as a new independent group of MPs. For my part, I have become embarrassed and ashamed to remain in the Labour Party. I have not changed.
"The core values of equality for all, opportunity for all anti-racism against all and social justice. The values that I hold dear remain and are who I am and yet these values have been consistency violated.
“The Labour Party has refused to put my constituents before party interests. I cannot remain part of party that I have come to the sickening conclusion is anti-semitic.”
Mr Umunna said Jeremy Corbyn and his shadow cabinet had “failed to fulfil their duties”.
He added: “They have put party political interest before the national interest. They don’t represent the complex tapestry of modern Britain. There are those who will say there is no alternative, we are doomed to be saddled with the same old politics. We have to settle for the least worst option.
“No matter how incompetent they are we have no option but to vote for them. We reject this. When our democracy is failing the British people have overcome the hurdles.”
Labour leader Mr Corbyn has said he is “disappointed” at the MPs who have left the party and attacked the Conservative's handling of Brexit.
Mr Corbyn said: “I am disappointed that these MPs have felt unable to continue to work together for the Labour policies that inspired millions at the last election and saw us increase our vote by the largest share since 1945.
“Labour won people over on a programme for the many not the few – redistributing wealth and power, taking vital resources into public ownership, investing in every region and nation, and tackling climate change.
“The Conservative Government is bungling Brexit, while Labour has set out a unifying and credible alternative plan.
"When millions are facing the misery of Universal Credit, rising crime, homelessness and poverty, now more than ever is the time to bring people together to build a better future for us all.”
