SIR – Following the coverage of the Clacton and Heywood & Middleton by-elections, I am becoming concerned about the so-called impartiality of the BBC. By no stretch of the imagination could the two results be seen as comfortable for the three main parties, in fact the results were disastrous for the Liberal Democrats and extremely disturbing for the Conservatives and concerning for Labour. In Clacton the Conservative vote collapsed and the Liberal Democrats lost their deposit (again).
It could be argued that Labour could and should have done better, but this was never about the Labour Party, as Douglas Carswell left the Conservatives and joined Ukip, so it should really be seen in that context.
In Heywood & Middleton the turnout was very low; yet Labour INCREASED its share of the vote.
The Conservative and Liberal Democrat vote collapsed (again) and, not surprisingly, the Ukip vote surged on the back of this. Yes, Labour’s majority was slashed by 90%, but the Ukip support was as high as it is ever going to be, given the nature of protest votes.
To present both results as being of equal worth is, quite simply, laughable and brings the BBC’s impartiality into question.
Ian Parsons, Alexandra Road, Eccleshill, Bradford
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