BBC under investigation by Ofcom for airing child's comments about 'getting foreigners out'

The child made the comments at school after being questioned by Tristram Hunt

Tristram Hunt (pupil not pictured) (Mykel M Nicolaou)

The BBC is under investigation by the television regulator after it broadcast footage of a young boy saying he was voting Ukip to “get all the foreigners out of the country”.

The young boy made the comments during a conversation with shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt on a visit to a primary school in the Midlands.

Ofcom, which regulates broadcast media, is looking into whether “due care and attention” was paid by the corporation to the child’s welfare.

The footage was broadcast by BBC One East Midlands and was available on the corporation’s news website.

Other newspapers, including the Independent, also wrote up the item online.

The regulator is assessing the case because the child was identifiable and because it is possible that adverse reaction to his remarks could have been foreseen.

An Ofcom spokesperson said: “Ofcom has opened an investigation into a news item on BBC 1 East Midlands to establish whether due care was taken of the welfare of a child who appeared in the programme”.