A former BBC boss has revealed most reporters there are opposed to Reform UK and that she overruled editorial policy to get more primetime airtime for Nigel Farage.
Deborah Turness, who quit as BBC News CEO last November after a Panorama scandal over a Donald Trump speech edit, has opened up about attitudes at the corporation.
She told a US conference that most BBC journalists were not aligned with what she called Mr Farage's 'extreme conservative movement'.
Ms Turness also described pushing for him to be granted more opportunities to appear on air, including on the weekly political flagship show Question Time in the lead up to the 2024 general election.
She resigned along with BBC director-general Tim Davie last November amid a row over the doctoring of a President Trump speech for a Panorama episode.
The decisions came after an internal dossier also exposed a string of incidents demonstrating serious apparent bias in the corporation's reporting.
The concerns regarded clips spliced together from sections of Mr Trump's speech on January 6 2021, to make it appear he told supporters he was going to walk to the US Capitol with them to 'fight like hell'.
The documentary called Trump: A Second Chance? was broadcast by the BBC the week before the 2024 US election.
Deborah Turness, who quit as the BBC's News CEO last November after a Panorama controversy over a Donald Trump speech edit, says most reporters would not vote for Reform
She told a US media conference of over-riding editorial policy to ensure more airtime for Reform leader Nigel Farage, seen here appearing on the BBC's Question Time in May 2024
Ms Turness has now addressed concerns about BBC impartiality, while appearing as a guest at a media conference in the US.
She told attendees: 'Do I think that the BBC newsrooms would, in percentage terms, vote the same way as the nation right now in the UK in terms of the Reform party, which is quite an extreme conservative movement, very anti-immigration, really gathering steam? No, I don't.'
Ms Turness, who became BBC News CEO in 2022 having previously been ITV News editor and NBC News president, added: 'What that means is you have to work even harder to maintain that impartiality.'
She was talking at a conference called Restoring Trust In Media, organised by US news outlet Semafor and held in Washington DC.
She described making personal efforts to get more airtime for Mr Farage and his party which has been leading in recent opinion polls though finished second to the Green Party in Thursday's Gorton and Denton by-election in Greater Manchester.
Ms Turness said: 'I personally overruled internal editorial policy to give Nigel Farage primetime exposure in the last election.
'I felt he ought to be on Question Time, which is the big debate platform, and to get a big Panorama interview.
'Because even though the math didn't say that he earned it in terms of the way things have always been done, I said, "Look at the polling. We will be out of step with the British public".
Tim Davie (pictured in November 2025) resigned over the Panorama controversy involving a misleading Donald Trump edit
'The BBC is paid for by all of the people. It’s an obligatory licence fee. You do sometimes have to intervene to slightly course-correct.'
Mr Farage has been a panellist on BBC1's Question Time 38 times since 2000, putting him sixth on the all-time list - behind Kenneth Clarke, Shirley Williams, Sir Menzies Campbell, Harriet Harman and Charles Kennedy.
BBC director of nations Rhodri Talfan Davies, 54, was last month confirmed in the role of interim dirctor-general leading the beleaguered corporation.
Mr Davies, whose role also sees him sit on the BBC's executive committee, was to join the BBC board from February 1 as an executive director.
He is due to hold that position until taking over as interim director-general on April 3.
It was revealed last month that the BBC would fight to have Mr Trump's $10billion lawsuit over the Panorama programme thrown out.
The US president filed the lawsuit in a Florida court, accusing the BBC of defamation and violating trade practices, and seeking $5billion on each count.
In the clip at the centre of the row, Mr Trump appeared to encourage 2021's Capitol riots by saying: 'We're going to walk down to the Capitol… and I'll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell.'
But in reality, that message was formed from two clips around 54 minutes apart that had been spliced together and aired a week before the 2024 presidential election.
The BBC previously apologised to Mr Trump and withdrew the report, but refused to pay any compensation - prompting the lawsuit.
In a statement by Mr Davie to staff following his resignation from the role he took on in 2020, he said: 'Like all public organisations, the BBC is not perfect, and we must always be open, transparent and accountable.
'While not being the only reason, the current debate around BBC News has understandably contributed to my decision.
'Overall the BBC is delivering well, but there have been some mistakes made and as director-general I have to take ultimate responsibility.'
Mr Trump described Mr Davie as 'very dishonest' and praised his departure.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, the US President wrote: 'The top people in the BBC, including Tim Davie, the Boss, are all quitting/fired, because they were caught 'doctoring' my very good (perfect!) speech of January 6th.
'These are very dishonest people who tried to step on the scales of a Presidential Election. On top of everything else, they are from a Foreign Country, one that many consider our Number One Ally. What a terrible thing for Democracy!'
He also shared a Daily Mail column from Boris Johnson, where the former Prime Minister vowed to withhold his licence fee over the impartiality issue.
The White House had previously accused the BBC of '100 per cent fake news'.
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said: 'This purposefully dishonestly, selectively edited clip by the BBC is further evidence that they are total, 100 per cent fake news that should no longer be worth the time on the television screens of the great people of the United Kingdom.
Ms Leavitt posted a two-word response to Mr Davie's resignation alongside two screenshots of news articles, one stating 'Trump goes to war with 'fake news' BBC', the other announcing his resignation.
She wrote 'shot' above the first article, adding 'chaser' above the second indicating the White House's pleasure in how 'the war' they started panned out.
Ms Turness said at the time thatr the 'buck stops with me' and admitted the controversy had 'caused damage' to the BBC, but she denied claims that the BBC was institutionally biased.
'The ongoing controversy around the Panorama on President Trump has reached a stage where it is causing damage to the BBC – an institution that I love,' she said.
'The buck stops with me. While mistakes have been made, I want to be absolutely clear recent allegations that BBC News is institutionally biased are wrong.'
Mr Trump was said to be 'absolutely enraged' by the Panorama scandal, telling his friend Nigel Farage: 'I thought this was a state broadcaster'.
Mr Farage said of the President: 'To say that he was angry would be an understatement.
'It's just the latest of a long list of political biases that we see running throughout the BBC.
'I've watched it for decades, whether it was their coverage of the European Union, their coverage of immigration, their coverage of climate change, their swallowing - hook, line and sinker - Hamas propaganda coming out of Gaza, and the woke agenda runs through not just news, but every cultural programme as well.
'And so you have to conclude that the BBC has been not just run, but staffed by the wrong people for way, way too long'.
The Daily Mail has approached the BBC today for comment.
