A COMMUNIST Party candidate for Parliament accused the BBC today of bias against socialists during the election campaign.

Edinburgh North & Leith candidate Richard Shillcock points out that the BBC deleted the Morning Star and its website link from the alphabetical list of national British newspapers on May 11.

“The Morning Star is the only national daily paper supporting socialist and communist candidates in the general election. The BBC clearly has its eye on protecting its government funding, whether it’s Starmer or Sunak in No 10, and is proactively bending the knee,” he charged.

Though Mr Shillcock, who has been endorsed by the Glasgow Shipping Branch of maritime union RMT, has complained about the decision to remove the Morning Star, he says the complaint won’t be handled till the vote is over. The BBC has been approached for comment.

Mr Shillcock is among 14 Communist candidates standing Britain-wide.

The party held its final online election rally on Tuesday night.

Candidate Emma Jane Phillips of Newcastle upon Tyne East & Wallsend said the party’s campaign allowed it to challenge the hate-filled propaganda of the mainstream, particularly against disabled people, while Luke Daniels of Caribbean Labour Solidarity said it was disappointing after 50 years in Britain to witness another election questioning black and Asian people’s place here.

Coatbridge & Bellshill candidate Drew Gilchrist cited Unite’s Grangemouth campaigning as an example of the way industrial and community pressure could lead to political change.

Summing up, general secretary Robert Griffiths said the campaign would be built on as the Communist Party would continue its growth trend of recent years, pointing out that only when the Communist Party has been strong have working-class interests advanced.