How much does the popularity of politicians depend on appearing on mainstream media?

Politics Explained: Nigel Farage is getting too much coverage, say some of his critics – but how much would be the right amount?

This weekend, Alastair Campbell, the People’s Vote campaigner, said there was “something seriously sick going on inside the BBC”. This was after the BBC had Nigel Farage, leader of the Brexit Party, on Question Time on Thursday and on The Andrew Marr Show on Sunday, but dropped Heidi Allen, interim leader of Change UK, from Have I Got News For You on Friday.

I suspect Campbell knows this is not as biased as it looks. He knows the BBC takes a lot of trouble to observe its charter requirement of impartiality. Someone will be keeping a tally of the airtime given to the representatives of various parties during the European election campaign.

Allen – and Hat Trick, the makers of Hignfy – fell victim to a rather obscure Ofcom rule against “new appearances” by candidates or representatives of parties in “non-political programmes”.