Diane Abbott Question Time row: Labour requests BBC footage of Fiona Bruce 'joke' and demands on-air correction of poll claim

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Labour has asked the BBC for unseen footage of last week’s Question Time and demanded a correction during next week’s episode as a row over the show’s treatment of Diane Abbott deepened. It is also demanding an on-air correction of Ms Bruce’s assertion that Labour is “definitely” behind in the polls, given recent surveys suggest the party is level-pegging with the Conservatives, as had been suggested by Ms Abbott. “Diane Abbott was also right that some other polls suggested Labour were either ahead or tied and we should have made that clear.” Writing in The Independent, Ms Abbott said Ms Bruce did “not appear to be well briefed” and was “not afraid to appear unfair as a presenter”. But many viewers and people in the audience for last week’s Question Time thought that the way I was spoken about before the programme, the way that I was treated during the programme and the chairing of the programme were decidedly unfair.” A BBC spokesperson said: “We’re sorry to hear Diane Abbott’s concerns and have contacted her team to reassure them social media reports are inaccurate and misleading.