Immigration Minister Woolas Pulled From BBC Question Time

MB October 24, 2008, 8:01 am

The Home Office was last night at the centre of a political censorship row when it emerged that immigration minister Phil Woolas had been pulled from the line-up of the BBC’s flagship discussion programme Question Time.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith was accused of “gagging” controversial Mr Woolas. The programme editors rejected a substitution by work minister Tony McNulty and instead invited former deputy leader of the Labour Party Lord Hattersley to appear.

Hattersley lambasted Mr Woolas, who recently called for a cap on immigration, saying the minister’s proposal was “not Labour policy and nor will it be”.

Mr Woolas had used an interview in The Times to suggest a 70 million limit on Britain’s population.