BBC's Laura Kuenssberg absent from Sunday show for 4th week as co-star steps in

29 October 2023 , 10:07

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Laura Kuenssberg has not hosted her flagship politics show for the past four weeks (Image: PA)

BBC Presenter Laura Kuenssberg was absent from her Sunday show for the fourth week this morning.

Victoria Derbyshire stepped in to lead the flagship TV show, as she interviewed politicians from across the Conservative, Labour and Lib Dem parties. The former BBC political editor also missed her show, Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, on Sundays, September 24 and October 8.

After the first absence, it was reported she was missing due to "personal reasons." At the start of October, it was announced her father Nick Kuenssberg had died aged 80. He was a prominent business figure in Scotland.

Victoria Derbyshire stepped in to present Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg on BBC (BBC)

Ms Kuenssberg interviewed Rishi Sunak for the Tory Party conference weekend on October 1 but was absent for an interview with Keir Starmer the following week.

Ms Derbyshire has been standing in for Ms Kuenssberg. She also took over her presenting role on the podcast, Newscast. This morning Ms Derybshire interviewed top Tory ministers, including Science Secretary Michelle Donelan. She grilled her on the Israel-Gaza war and artificial intelligence.

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Ms Derbyshire notably interviewed her at Tory Party Conference, where she roasted the Top Tory live on air as she hit out at three Tory “untruths”. Hapless Ms Donelan was taken to task after using her Conservative Party conference speech to claim: “We are the party of facts.” But BBC Newsnight host Ms Derbyshire played her a clip showing three Cabinet ministers making outlandish statements not based in fact.

They included Prime Minister Rishi Sunak insisting he had scrapped “a Government diktat to sort your rubbish into seven different bins"; Transport Secretary Mark Harper suggesting “local councils can decide how often you go to the shops”; and Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho telling activists Labour wants to introduce a tax on red meat.

Confronting Ms Donelan, Ms Derbyshire said: "How can you be the party of facts when none of that is true?" But Ms Donelan insisted: "We are the party that stands up for facts." Ms Derbyshire went on: "I'm not going to let this go. There was never a proposal to use seven bins. We can't find any council that wants to decide how often people can go to shops and Labour have never proposed taxing meat. They are untruths, they are fiction, they are completely and utterly made up and it's really disrespectful to voters." Ms Donelan said: "I genuinely believe we are the party of facts and evidence."

The BBC has been contacted for comment.

Sophie Huskisson