Corporation’s political editor has faced abuse over her coverage of Jeremy Corbyn, with petition securing more than 35,000 signatures

A campaign to sack BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg over her coverage of Jeremy Corbyn has been accused of misogyny and sexism.

More than 35,000 people have signed a petition posted on campaigning website 38 Degrees claiming Kuenssberg is biased against Labour, most recently in her coverage of last week’s local and regional elections.

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However, many of the comments by those sharing the petition on Twitter have used offensive and sexist language, with further abuse in more private Facebook postings.

Former Independent on Sunday political editor Jane Merrick said Kuenssberg’s questioning of what the results meant for Corbyn was justified and the petition was ridiculous, but that the BBC’s first female political editor faced an extra layer of sexist criticism. “She has been called a whore and a bitch on Twitter,” said Merrick. “Nick Robinson used to be accused of Tory bias but he never experienced this level of nastiness.

“Of course, not all Corbyn supporters are sexist, far from it, but there is a core of hard-left misogyny that comes out against women when Corbyn is under pressure – such as the abuse against Stella Creasy and Jess Phillips. Jeremy Corbyn said back in September he wanted a ‘kinder politics’ so he should condemn these vile attacks against a respected and experienced journalist.”

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On Sunday, Labour MP Phillips tweeted:

Jess Phillips MP (@jessphillips) I have to say, I think attack on @bbclaurak is underlined with institutional sexism by people who dont even know they are perpetrators

It is the second time Kuenssberg has been targeted by campaigners. Earlier this year another petition called for both her and Andrew Neil to be sacked over the on-air resignation of Stephen Doughty.

The National Union of Journalists reiterated its position that calls for journalists to be sacked for their reporting were farcical.

“This was a legitimate story any journalist would have wanted to run on their show ... You cannot run witch hunts against journalists just because you don’t like the news they report. In the same way we supported journalists – at the BBC and elsewhere – who were attacked on social media by people from both sides of the argument on independence during the Scottish referendum, we will not tolerate people who try to suppress legitimate news coverage.”

The author of the petition, who originally set it up following what he described as a “tirade” against Corbyn by Kuenssberg in January, said the petition was not about her gender.

“I have been accused of sexist trolling on Twitter,” he wrote in the updated post. “I would like to reassure everyone that I am a passionate advocate for equality in all areas, not just gender equality.



“This petition has precisely zero to do with Kuenssberg’s gender. Regardless of the gender you identify with, there is no excuse for biased reporting and misrepresentation of facts when you represent an organisation that has been famed for its impartiality and balanced approach.”