Alastair Campbell and Zia Yusuf clash over Brexit and Iraq on Question Time

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 30 Oct, 08:15 · Archive

Alastair Campbell called Reform UK 'a bunch of conmen' during a heated BBC Question Time debate with the party's home affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf.

Alastair Campbell, a former New Labour spin doctor and podcaster, and Zia Yusuf, Reform UK's home affairs spokesperson, engaged in a heated argument during BBC Question Time at Warwick. The clash centred on Brexit and Iraq, with Campbell claiming the pro-Leave camp had 'sold something on a pack of lies and never been held accountable for it'. He stated that Brexit had reduced the UK economy by six to eight per cent.

Campbell described Reform as 'a bunch of conmen' and said 'they're being found out'. He also claimed that without leaving the EU, the chancellor would have had £90 billion more to spend. Yusuf accused Campbell and Tony Blair of telling 'some of the most consequential lies in the history of this country' regarding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, saying that if there were justice, 'you and Tony Blair would be in jail'. Campbell responded that six inquiries had found they had not lied.

When Yusuf claimed he had marched against the war as a child, Campbell noted that Yusuf was in the Conservative Party when it supported the Iraq invasion, adding 'you'll jump on any bandwagon'. Presenter Fiona Bruce intervened to stop the two men arguing across the panel as they spoke over one another.

How it is being reported

• Zia Yusuf And Alastair Campbell Call Each Other Liars In Furious Question Time SpatZia Yusuf and Alastair Campbell accused one another of being liars in a furious clash over Brexit and Iraq on BBC Question Time. Podcaster Campbell, a spin doctor who used to work for New Labour , took aim at Reform UK’s home affairs spokesperson for ever supporting Brexit during a question about the possibility of re-adopting the EU’s freedom of movement. The co-host of The Rest Is Politics gestured towards Yusuf and said some people in the pro-Leave camp had “sold something on a pack of lies and never been held accountable for it”. As Yusuf tried to interrupt and the men spoke over one…HuffPost UK · 30 Oct, 07:50
• Zia Yusuf's smug reaction during heated Question Time debate slamming Reform as 'bunch of conmen'Reform UK were branded "a bunch of conmen" by Alastair Campbell on BBC Question Time tonight as the journalist and political strategist warned "they're being found out"The Mirror · 29 Oct, 23:53

In this story: Zia Yusuf · Alastair Campbell · Reform UK · BBC Question Time · Fiona Bruce · Tony Blair

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