Here's that interview in full:
And some Twitter debate about it involving UKIP and the BBC's head of live political programmes:
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Gerard Batten: Who came out on top in my ‘interview’ i.e ambush on Politics Live? [Poll result currently 84% for Gerard and 16% for Jo].
Rob Burley: It wasn't an ambush. We've checked the email correspondence. We said we'd ask about Robinson and Islam and didn't mention Brexit. Worth noting that UKIP tweeted yesterday promoting the appearance and saying Robinson would be on the agenda.
Patrick O'Flynn: How can you not ask the leader of the party that won the European elections on a Brexit ticket about Brexit at a time like this? How can you justify excluding UKIP, of all parties, from the Brexit debate?
Rob Burley: I would say that the UKIP leader has made Islam and Tommy Robinson big issues for your party. We don't exclude UKIP from the Brexit debate but you are a small party so not on as much as the bigger ones. In any case, as you know I did invite YOU on and hope will happen before long,
Patrick O'Flynn: Er... Check back and you will see you did the same to Henry Bolton when you had him on. Never asked about Brexit. Profound bias Rob.
Rob Burley: Er, Henry had some other issues at the time.
Patrick O'Flynn: Not at that time he didn't. When you have UKIP on you don't ask about Brexit. Why not?
Rob Burley: What was he asked about then?
UKIP is deeply unhappy with the BBC, calling the interview:
A textbook example of why the abolition of the BBC licence fee is in the new UKIP manifesto.And here's a striking response to a tweet from Jo Coburn from the MP for Telford:
#BBCSwitchoff
Jo Coburn: My full interview with UKIP leader Gerard Batten MEP from Friday's Politics Live.
Lucy Allan MP: Disappointed to see BBC Politics attacking those who speak out about Councils and Police who let down CSE victims of grooming gangs - it’s hard enough speaking out about these horrific crimes without the BBC suggesting it is racist to do so.
