A BBC journalist broke the UK broadcaster’s impartiality rules when he called Tommy Robinson, the hard-right anti-immigration campaigner, a “sinister and ludicrous” figure. Daniel De Simone, BBC News’ investigations correspondent, used the phrase to describe Robinson, a vocal supporter of Donald Trump, during a BBC News at Ten bulletin on August 5, 2024. At the time, Robinson (real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon) was abroad in Cyprus, commenting on the riots from a sun lounger. Robinson has repeatedly backed Trump, including cheering on his $10B lawsuit against the BBC. “Finish the BBC off @realDonaldTrump,” Robinson tweeted to his 1.8M followers in November.