Jim Allister says TUV has been unjustly excluded from BBC and UTV election debates

He argued that it leaves viewers without a clear anti-Protocol voice, despite strong opposition to the Protocol among unionists.

The UTV election debate was on Sunday evening, featuring the big five parties: DUP, SF, SDLP, UUP and Alliance.

The BBC NI election debate is set for this Thursday at 9pm on BBC1.

​In a statement day complaining of the “mainstream media bias”, Mr Allister said: "The decision of the BBC and UTV to exclude TUV from their leaders’ debates is but the latest example of bias by broadcasters during the election period.

"In the initial letter from the BBC it was suggested that TUV would receive a single party election broadcast and only after this was challenged did the BBC contact us to say we were actually receiving two.

"In the opening days of the campaign, TUV had to write to the director of BBC Northern Ireland to complain about a BBC journalist employing language straight from DUP campaign literature to characterise TUV candidates, a so-called commentator who characterised me as 'a Lundy' without challenge and a TV debate from which were were excluded but repeatedly referred to without opportunity to respond.

"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.

"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 advise that at no time was that to be the case.

"How revealing that UTV, and indeed the BBC, were not prepared to consider the obvious points and did not give any credence to the compelling argument for including TUV in the debate.

"This shows an appalling lack of balance and inability or unwillingness to consider the facts.

"Thankfully the TUV message is cutting through regardless but the bias of the mainstream media is obvious.

“The practical outwork of BBC and UTV bias is that by only permitting Protocol implementers a platform they aren’t having real debates. They are merely echo chambers.”

His points have been put to the BBC and UTV.

The BBC responded by saying: “All decisions about the BBC’s election-related coverage are based on published guidelines.”

And UTV replied: “As with all of our election coverage, the aim of the UTV Election Debate on Sunday was to be fair, balanced and duly impartial.

"The make-up of any programme is our editorial decision, and, in inviting the five larger parties to the debate on Sunday, aware of our obligations under our regulator Ofcom, we gave due weight to coverage of the parties.

"In addition, we made clear in the debate that there is a previously planned linked programme of interviews with other leaders, including the TUV, who will appear in ‘View from Stormont’ on Thursday."

According to the ARK online election archive, in the 2022 Assembly elections the TUV won 7.6% of first preference votes (the next highest was the SDLP with 9.1%, and the next lowest were the Greens at 1.9%).

This translated into just one seat for the TUV though (and eight for the SDLP, and none for the Greens).

​In last year's council results the TUV got 3.9% of the first-preference votes (the next highest party was the SDLP with 8.7%, and the next lowest was the Greens on 1.7%).

The TUV did not stand in the 2019 Westminster elections.

Polling earlier this month by the firm LucidTalk on June 8-10 put the TUV on 5% of the vote, (with the next highest being the UUP on 12% and the next lowest being the Greens on 1%).

But the TUV says this “only gives an NI-wide figure based on preferences expressed in all 18 seats – four of which we aren't standing in”.

A similar complaint had been made by the Reform Party – the TUV’s GB-based sister party.

Reform candidate Ben Habib and Jim Allister have appeared countless times on the same platform at anti-Protocol debates, and the pact between their two parties has seen the TUV’s election material also bearing that of Reform.

Reform had complained that it was being excluded from BBC coverage. After that, the BBC decided to stage an additional episode of Question Time, called the Leaders’ Special, featuring representatives from Reform UK and the Green Party, on Friday, 8pm, BBC One.