In a lengthy statement, Mr Allister accused the two broadcasters of “bias” over the snub. The party’s North Antrim candidate said he wrote to BBC Northern Ireland director Adam Smyth complaining about a BBC journalist “employing language straight from DUP campaign literature to characterise TUV candidates” and a “so-called commentator who characterised me as ‘a Lundy’ without challenge”. Mr Allister also gave off about a TV debate in which the TUV “were excluded but repeatedly referred to without opportunity to respond”.
Perhaps the reason the TUV have not been invited to debates is down to the fact it is not one of NI’s main political parties. It has one Stormont MLA, a handful of councillors, and no MPs. “As we have repeatedly pointed out to both the BBC and UTV, recent like for like polling over a protected period has shown the TUV either level with the SDLP or within the margin of error,” Mr Allister’s statement reads.
“Tellingly, no account appears to have been taken of the fact that in the last Assembly election the difference between the SDLP and TUV was just 1.5%. “UTV took issue with us saying that TUV have been excluded from the leaders' debate because we have not been included and advised that at no time was that to be the case.
Over on X, formerly Twitter, the UUP have been causing a stir after posts have emerged including some rather dubious results from a recent election survey. The post in question includes a claim that UUP can.
