BBC journalist Laura Kuenssberg has faced multiple allegations of bias during her career – with the most recent incident involving a public apology and a cancelled broadcast.

A recent interview with Boris Johnson was cancelled after she admitted online of sending him the briefing notes “by mistake”, saying that “it’s not right for the interview to go ahead”.

At times, the Scottish journalist and presenter has been accused of being too close to government by her critics while outing and misrepresenting Labour activists.

Here is a collection of Kuenssberg's biggest mistakes and worst moments.

READ MORE: Laura Kuenssberg 'mistake' questioned as Boris Johnson interview axed

'Anti-left bias' and misreporting

Known for election coverage, Kuenssberg is often accused of being biased against Labour and at the time, its leader Jeremy Corbyn. I 2016, a petition was started calling for her dismal, however it was removed from the website after it was reported to have been a “focal point for sexist and hateful abuse” towards her.

In 2017, the BBC Trust concluded that Kuenssberg had broken impartiality and accuracy guidelines while interviewing Corbyn. She had falsely reported that Corbyn disagreed with the use of firearms by police in emergency incidents such as the terrorist attacks in Paris – later comparing Theresa May’s anti-terrorism polices. However. The Trust later stated there was no evidence of intention to mislead.(Image: PA)

She faced calls to resign in 2019 after she incorrectly claimed a Labour activist had assaulted a Tory staffer. 

The incident happened outside Leeds General Infirmary where then health secretary Matt Hancock was meeting with bosses. On his way out, Hancock was heckled by a small crowd. The Tories claimed they had been organised by Labour, though the opposition denied this. The party then seemingly told a number of journalists that one of their staffers had been attacked with Kuenssberg tweeting the reports.

Actual video footage emerged shortly after showing a cyclist, wearing hi-viz, getting agitated with Hancock and gesticulating with his right arm. Hancock’s adviser then appeared to walk in to the man’s arm. Kuenssberg later deleted her tweet.

READ MORE: James O'Brien slams Laura Kuenssberg's reply to Stephen Flynn on BBC

The BBC also defended her after her tweet in which she drew attention to the father who confronted Boris Johnson about the state of the NHS in 2019. A man challenged the Johnson in Whipps Cross University Hospital, saying his seven-day-old daughter had “nearly died” due to a lack of staff.

Kuenssberg used her Twitter/X to point out he was a Labour activist and retweeting one of his posts, said “This is him here”.

Potential breach of broadcast impartiality

In 2029, the day before the December General Election, Kuenssberg had reported that postal votes which had been submitted had been viewed by Labour and Tory party, while stating it was “looking pretty grim for Labour in a lot of parts of the country".

READ MORE: John O'Farrell accuses Laura Kuenssberg of pushing 'gossip' on BBC

It is a criminal offence to predict electoral results based on votes cast before the polls close. It is also a breach of Electoral Commission guidelines to view postal votes prior to polling day.

The clip was removed for the BBC iPlayer and the BBC News press office defended Kuenssberg, arguing she had not breached electoral law. The Met Police also confirmed she had not committed a criminal offence.

Dominic Cummings scandal

Kuenssberg came under particular fire for appearing to defend the prime minister’s former senior adviser Dominic Cummings, amid news that he’d driven from London to Durham during the first Covid-19 lockdown in 2020.

READ HERE: Dominic Cummings: Laura Kuenssberg defends senior adviser 

The BBC once again defended her – even when she reported a source had argued the trip was not illegal. Many suspected the source was Cummings and called for her resignation.

She was then listed as "Chief Press Officer of Her Majesty’s Government" on Wikipedia.

In 2021, Cummings confirmed it was him who had spoken with Kuenssberg.

Boris Johnson and establishment bias

In 2021, she was accused of “acting as an unofficial spokesperson” for Boris Johnson’s government after her report on the Tories’ plan to hike National Insurance (NI) contributions.

After the announcement of her interview with Johnson in 2024, the founder of the Byline Times wrote on Twitter/X: "Kuenssberg always seems unhealthily close to Boris Johnson ... this interview smells of chums of Boris Johnson using our licence payer money to promote the man as his new book is coming out."

READ MORE: BBC's Laura Kuenssberg sends Boris Johnson briefing notes 'by mistake'

In reaction to it being cancelled, public figures have wondered whether there would be further investigation into the cancellation of the interview.

In March this year, experts told The Sunday National there was evidence of a “pro-establishment bias” within the BBC, underlined by the panellists invited onto Kuenssberg's  show in the six months since its first broadcast.

Analysis of the guests brought on to the panel to commentate alongside Kuenssberg – not those brought on to be interviewed – revealed that Tory MPs are twice as likely to be invited on as Labour ones.

Commentators with right-wing connections are also much more likely to feature than those with links to the left.