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BBC apologises for not including Green Party on polling report despite overtaking Lib Dems

A Green Party activist wrote to the BBC to complain

Kashmira Gander

Tuesday 23 December 2014 00:49 GMT

Natalie Bennett leader of the Green Party of England and Wales (Getty Images/BBC)

The BBC has apologised for including the Liberal Democrats in its polling coverage, but leaving out the Green Party which was a percentage point ahead.

A party activist complained to the BBC after it broadcast a graph showing the results of a YouGov/Sun poll on the 5 December episode of Andrew Neil’s Daily Politics, which included the Liberal Democrats polling at 7 per cent, but not the Greens at 8 per cent.

The graph also showed the Conservatives at 31 per cent, Labour at 32 per cent and Ukip at 15 per cent.

In a letter responding to the complaint seen by the Bright Green website, the BBC admitted that not including the Green Party was “an error”.

“The Green Party’s polling of 8% should have been included in the graph. I am sorry for the mistake and appreciate you taking the time to contact the BBC,” it read.

Policies: Where the Greens stand on the major issues

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1/13Policies: Where the Greens stand on the major issues

Policies: Where the Greens stand on the major issues

Taxes

Wealth tax of up to 2 per cent on the assets of 300,000 people who are worth more than £3m, the country’s richest 1 per cent

Corbis

Policies: Where the Greens stand on the major issues

Wages

National minimum wage to be lifted to living-wage levels and to reach £10 an hour by 2020. Would also “curb boardroom excesses” by linking salaries at the top of companies to pay at the bottom

Getty

Policies: Where the Greens stand on the major issues

Pensions

End pensioner poverty by introducing a weekly “citizen’s pension” of £170 for a single person and £300 for a couple

Getty

Policies: Where the Greens stand on the major issues

Energy

Targets and timetables for improving efficiency and reducing greenhouse-gas emissions across all sectors. Wants electricity use to be reduced by a third by 2020, by half by 2030 and two-thirds by 2050

REX FEATURES

Policies: Where the Greens stand on the major issues

Health

Accuses Labour and Tory governments of introducing privatisation by stealth into the NHS. Pledges to “maintain a publicly funded, publicly provided health service”

Getty

Policies: Where the Greens stand on the major issues

Education

Money would be allocated to schools according to their needs rather than their status. Schools which remain in the private sector would be classed as businesses, have all charitable status removed and pay taxes

Getty

Policies: Where the Greens stand on the major issues

Railways

Bring railway network back into public hands as franchises expire or if companies break the terms of their agreements

Getty

Policies: Where the Greens stand on the major issues

Immigration

Rules would be “based on the principle of fair and prompt treatment of applicants rather than on excluding dishonest applicants whatever the cost to the honest ones”

Getty Images

Policies: Where the Greens stand on the major issues

Food

Minimise transport of food and other agricultural products by supporting local food distribution and pressing for transport costs, especially air freight, to fully reflect environmental impact

Creative Commons

Policies: Where the Greens stand on the major issues

Farming

Phase out all “factory farming” and support a transition to small, free-range units, mixed rotational farming and extensive grazing. Would ban battery farming of poultry

Getty

Policies: Where the Greens stand on the major issues

Genetic engineering

Moratorium on the release of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) into the environment and on the importation of food and feed containing GMOs, pending comprehensive assessment of the technology’s safety

Getty

Policies: Where the Greens stand on the major issues

Cannabis

Possession, trade and cultivation of cannabis would be immediately decriminalised. Trade in cannabis would be examined by a Royal Commission, with a view to establishing a fully legalised and regulated trade

Reuters

Policies: Where the Greens stand on the major issues

Housing

Reform housing benefit to give greater help to poorer tenants and to prevent eviction or repossession of either private tenants or homeowners

Getty

Read more: Four out of five would like to see Green Party leader in 2015 election's TV leadership debates

In a post on the website, Bright Green reasoned that the mistake may have lay in the fact that YouGov does not include a Green Party line its voting intentions graphs.

The BBC told The Independent: "This was a mistake and we apologised for the omission”.

The response comes after an ICM poll published on Friday revealed that four out of five people would like to see the Green Party leader Natalie Bennett take part in the 2015 General Election TV leadership debates.

In October the BBC, ITV, Sky and Channel 4 all announced joint plans to hold three debates in the six weeks before polling day. The first would be head-to-head between Conservative leader David Cameron and Labour leader Ed Miliband, the second would include Nick Clegg and the third Nigel Farage.

Support for a Green member at the debates was highest among individuals aged 35-44 and among women, according to polling data.

Around 200,000 people signed an online petition calling for the party to receive equal coverage.

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