BBC debate audience member hailed 'real winner' for savage reaction to Farage

07 June 2024 , 21:01

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BBC debate audience member hailed 'real winner' for savage reaction to Farage

There may have been seven slightly sweaty politicians hashing it out for the win tonight - but the real victor of the BBC Election Debate has been declared as a member of the live studio audience.

Amid several bad-tempered answers from the likes of Nigel Farage and Penny Mordaunt, the camera kept cutting back to one man in the audience who was following the action with a right old scowl on his face.

And, naturally, viewers were delighted the camera team found someone who summed up the events of the evening so succinctly - especially when Nigel Farage claimed this year's general election should be "the immigration election".

TV reviewer Scott Bryan tweeted a clip of the camera cutting away from Reform UK leader Nigel Farage to the man in the white t-shirt. "The man shaking his head is a meme," he declared.

"My favourite person in this debate so far is the man who shakes his head in disgust every time Nigel Farage spouts his bile," tweeted another, while a third wrote: "Shout out to this head - shaking trio in the audience as #Farage was spouting out his usual cr*p!"

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The member of the audience kept shaking his head at Nigel Farage

"To the lad shaking his head every time Farage opens his mouth: we're with you," said another X user, while yet another pointed out: "They keep panning the camera to the bloke in the front row shaking his head every time Farage speaks!"

Another viewer wrote: "Fartage is such a patronising, divisive bully. Love the guy in the white t shirt in the audience shaking his head at his bull****."

And yet another laughed: "I had wondered how long this will take to become a meme. Every time he shook his head , I laughed because I was doing the same. He nodded his head several times too! Someone should turn that into a meme as well."

And another X user said: "I'M SOBBING not the man shaking his head at Penny."

Finally, one viewer summed it up for everyone else. "My winner is Stephen Flynn followed by head shaking man - both spoke for the country on some big topics."

Several audience members shook their heads as Nigel Farage spoke about immigration

The SNP's Stephen Flynn also won huge applause for branding Farage a "snake oil salesman" when the conversation turned to the economy.

"There is a conspiracy of silence on one issue... and that's Brexit," he pointed out. "Brexit has impacted the economy more than the Covid pandemic. It’s put your food bills up completely unnecessarily, it has been an unmitigated disaster for the economy.

"That is why at this election, you need to ignore the snake oil salesman who delivered it and you need to challenge the Labour party and the Conservative party bout why they aren't seeking to rejoin the single market."

As the Conservatives' Penny Mordaunt attempted to dismiss him, Stephen argued back: "Penny, you know Brexit has wiped £40billion worth of tax receipts out of the UK economy. You did that because you are terrified of Nigel Farage."

Emmeline Saunders