The BBC’s unconstitutional bias appears to become more naked almost daily.

On a day of ignominy and disarray for the government, with Theresa May unilaterally running away from a vote on her shameful withdrawal agreement and accused of complete disrespect for Parliament and its procedures, any self-respecting broadcaster would be lining up government ministers to face tough questions – and examining how the Opposition inflicted such a defeat.

Instead, Newsnight chose to populate its studio with centrists – and to allow arch-Blairite Peter Mandelson long minutes of unchallenged airtime to spout about Corbyn’s supposed failure to ‘lay a glove’ on Theresa May. At no stage was it pointed out to him that such an unprecedented collapse of a government propped up by the vast majority of the media estate must – can only – be because the Opposition and its leader have refused to let it off the hook or to give it room to escape or breathe.

This was followed by the dire Tory MP Anna Soubry huffing and tutting for a so-called “people’s vote” and a Tory former Number 10 adviser given free reign in the studio while Richard Burgon – the only genuinely Labour figure – appearing remotely and being frequently interrupted when he tried to rebut the nonsense.

It was an ugly spectacle:

Of course, Mandelson and some BBC personnel have been known to get quite cosy.

A photo that has been circulating on Twitter since last night’s debacle

Presenter Emily Maitlis not only recited Mandelson’s words again butrepeatedly argued the Tories’ case, even contradicting Burgon to assert, laughably, that Theresa May wants to bring the country together. She then iced the cake by calling Soubry the real opposition after the Tory had just said she would support the government in any no-confidence motion.

But perhaps the most telling passage was when Burgon pointed out Anna Soubry’s record of steadfast support for the Tory measures that have inflicted untold misery on vulnerable people:

For all the hawking of her principled opposition around the TV studios, when push comes to shove, Anna Soubry’s supported all the attacks on working class communities.

Soubry tried to channel Thatcher, but gave away the centrist-remain agenda when she retorted “Don’t talk rubbish, we’re talking about Brexit man“.

It’s hard to imagine a better portrayal of the privilege behind the arrogantly-titled “people’s vote” campaign than a dismissal of the huge damage that has been done to ordinary and vulnerable people in this country over the last eight years – which would continue unchecked under a Tory government in or out of Europe – ‘because Brexit‘.

In reality, Labour is performing outstandingly as an opposition for the good of the country, in spite of the cynical agenda and misbehaviour of some of its back-benchers – and in spite of the best efforts of the BBC, an organisation that is not doing its job, to present an alternate reality to its viewers.

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