BBC cowardice on Brexit drove me out, claims Sopel

Jon Sopel has said that the BBC's "both sides-ism" is part of the reason he quit.

- ANNABEL NUGENT

The former chief political correspondent joined the broadcaster at the age of 24. He resigned along with Emily Maitlis in 2022, and they launched a podcast, The News Agents, with Lewis Goodall that same year.

Sopel, 66, briefly spoke about his reasons for leaving the company during an appearance at the Hay Festival, which has partnered with The Independent for a second year. In a panel moderated by The Independent's Helen Coffey, Sopel appeared alongside philosopher and author AC Grayling and Jennifer Nadel, a journalist, barrister and author.

The subject of Sopel's departure arose during a wider debate on the media coverage of Nigel Farage and his party Reform UK, which saw significant gains in the local elections this month.

The party gained outright control of 10 councils and won more than 600 seats. Reform also won two mayoral races and secured a fifth MP, Sarah Pochin, who won the seat in Runcorn and Helsby.