BBC host presses Green Party leader over guillotine post targeting Farage

Published Jul 29, 07:24 AM UTC

BBC Newsnight presenter Victoria Derbyshire clashed with Green Party leader Zack Polanski after he was reported to police for resharing an Instagram post featuring a man wearing a t-shirt with a guillotine outline and the words 'We're only making plans for Nigel,' a reference to Reform UK leader Nigel Farage. Reform UK accused Polanski of incitement to violence. Polanski later deleted the post and condemned the image, but refused to apologize to Farage during the interview, arguing Farage had cropped the image to make it appear Polanski had posted it himself, amplifying its reach. Polanski admitted he made an 'inadvertent mistake' and condemned all political violence, but criticized the 'disproportionality' of the police referral. Derbyshire suggested voters could see Polanski as 'careless' with responsibilities if he were prime minister. Police said they were conducting enquiries but had not yet spoken to Polanski directly.