BBC accused of normalising ‘white supremacist language’ by European Parliament MPs after Tory ‘Grand Wizards’ coverage

Cross-party letter from all UK’s main parties says journalists must be given guidance on ‘extreme right dog-whistles’

A cross-party group of MEPs has written to the BBC accusing it of normalising “white supremacist language” in its reports on the Conservative Party and Brexit process.

In a letter to the corporation’s director of news and current affairs, the MEPs asked for guidance to be issued to journalists about the use of “extreme right dog-whistles”.

They cited two incidents this week in which BBC correspondents reported that Brexiteer Tory MPs had taken to calling themselves “The Grand Wizards” – a reference to the leadership of the white supremacist Ku Klux Klan – “without any explanation of context” and “appeared to find the use of this phrase amusing”.

The 14 MEPs to sign the letter come from Labour, the Lib Dems, Greens, SNP, Plaid Cymru. Two independent MEPs who were elected as Conservatives but who left the party over Brexit and its support for Viktor Orban also signed.

“In recent days we have noted a rise in the use of language associated with the white supremacist movement in our public debate and by BBC journalists and we are writing to ask you to nip this disturbing development in the bud,” the MEPs wrote.

They add: “As a communication professional, I am sure you understand the process of dog-whistling, whereby supporters of a particular position use specific cues or phrases to signal to their supporters in a manner subliminal to the main discourse. It is unfortunate that in this case the BBC is conveying such extreme right dog-whistles.

“The use of such terminology is also part of the normalisation of the idea of political violence, which is another disturbing sign of the rise of far-right tropes and behaviours in our political culture.”

On Monday the BBC’s political editor Laura Kuenssberg tweeted that “the Grand Wizards” was “the new name” being used by senior Brexiteers attending meetings with the prime minister. After criticism on social media she added: “Just catching up on timeline, for avoidance of doubt, couple of insiders told me [they are] using the nickname informally, no intended connection to anything else”. The tweets received thousands of comments, a large number critical of the framing.

The next day on the BBC’s flagship Today radio programme another report again referred to the Grand Wizards without acknowledging that it was a term exclusively used by the KKK.

The MEPs add: “While it might seem light-hearted and entertaining to white journalists we can assure you that it will cause dismay and distress to many in our ethnic minority communities who feel increasingly fearful and vulnerable.”

A spokesperson for the BBC told The Independent: “We have received the letter and will respond directly in due course.”

The MEPs to sign the letter were Richard Ashworth (independent, former Conservative), Jude Kirton-Darling (Labour), Catherine Bearder (Lib Dem), Julie Girling (independent, former Conservative), Claude Moraes (Labour), Julie Ward (Labour), Alyn Smith (SNP), Richard Corbett (Labour), Molly Scott Cato (Green), Theresa Griffin (Labour), Clare Moody (Labour), Jill Evans (Plaid Cymru), Seb Dance (Labour), and Mary Honeyball (Labour).