Robert Jenrick humiliated the BBC as he was challenged about concerns surrounding the vetting procedures by Reform UK (Image: Getty)
Robert Jenrick has launched a humiliating attack on the BBC after being challenged over concerns surrounding Reform UK’s candidate vetting procedures. The MP for Newark appeared on BBC Radio 4 just days after ITV revealed it conducted a year-long undercover investigation into the party, which led to the suspension of councillors accused of expressing racist, sexist or extremist views. The investigation recorded Alan Feeney, deputy mayor of Solihull, referring to Asian homeowners as “parasites”. It also revealed that an undercover reporter was advised by a local party chairman to delete social media posts supporting far-right activist Tommy Robinson.
The chairman subsequently encouraged the reporter to apply to stand as a Reform councillor.
The revelations have prompted fresh questions about the party’s vetting procedures.
Reform insisted it had “improved and prioritised its vetting procedures”, while Jenrick argued that all parties have “bad apples”.
Appearing on BBC Radio 4 on Friday, Jenrick was questioned by presenter Anna Foster about Reform’s vetting process, including the councillor who allegedly encouraged the reporter to delete his posts about Robinson.
“That goes against the idea that Reform’s vetting is robust and is weeding these people out,” the radio presenter said.
š³ Wow! Robert Jenrick just turned the tables on the BBC live on air while being grilled over Reformās candidate vetting.Asked about the ITV undercover exposĆ© on some Reform councillors and candidates, Jenrick made the obvious point that thereās only so much any organisation can do when it comes to screening people. Then he flipped it straight back at the interviewer:āLook at the BBC for example. Can you now give a guarantee to your listeners this morning that no BBC presenter in the future will be exposed as a paedophile, as a number have been in the recent past? No, of course you canāt. Because you canāt know absolutely everything about every individual in your organisation.āAbsolutely ruthless from Robert! š„Does he know something about someone at the BBC that the rest of us donāt? š¤You can practically hear the panic behind the scenes. šJenrickās right, though. No amount of vetting can guarantee you know everything about every single person in a large organisation. Thatās just reality. https://t.co/VLWabrBrO3
ā J Stewart (@triffic_stuff_) October 16, 2026
Jenrick described Reform’s vetting processes as “strong”, adding that it is “improving all the time”.
He compared his party to the Conservatives, claiming “absolutely no vetting” takes place when choosing their local councillors.
He argued that while Conservative MPs undergo vetting, some have still ended up in prison.
Foster accused him of trying to deflect attention away from Reform, prompting Jenrick to plead with her to let him finish making his point.
He went on to defend Nigel Farage‘s remarks that it was impossible to “vet people for what they say in the future”, arguing that there are limits to how thoroughly a person can be vetted in advance.
“You cannot do an absolutely full safe procedure,” he argued.
Jenrick then made a controversial comparison to the BBC, asking Foster whether she could guarantee that someone working for the corporation would not be exposed as a paedophile in the future.
“Look at the BBC for example. Can you now give a guarantee to your listeners this morning that no BBC presenter in the future will be exposed as a paedophile, as a number have been in the recent past?” he asked.
“No, of course you can’t. Because you can’t know absolutely everything about every individual in your organisation.”
The once golden reputation of the BBC has been destroyed by a string of child sex scandals stretching back over half a century.
Jimmy Savile, who worked for the BBC for decades, was exposed as being one of the world’s most prolific paedophiles after his death in 2011.
Police recorded 199 crimes across 17 force areas, including 31 allegations of rape, with the presenter expected to have abused an estimated 450 young victims.
Jimmy Savile, who worked for the BBC for decades, was exposed as being one of the world’s most prolific paedophiles (Image: Getty)
Children’s presenter and entertainer Rolf Harris was jailed five years and nine months in 2014 after he was convicted of 12 charges of indecent assault against four girls – including one aged seven.
He worked for the BBC from 1952 until his career ended in 2013.
BBC News presenter Huw Edwards was convicted of three charges of making indecent images of children in 2024.
The court heard that he received 41 illegal images, including seven category A pictures, via WhatsApp from a convicted sex offender.
He received a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years and was placed on the sex offenders’ register for seven years.
