Daily Express, on UK Politics, 23 October 2026

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Moment Wes Streeting in BBC Question Time

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Moment Wes Streeting 'misses the entire point' in BBC Question Time car crash Wes Streeting was blasted after his recent appearance on Question Time. Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Add us as preferred source Comments By Emmanuella Ngimbi 09:15, Fri, Oct 23, 2026 Updated: 09:19, Fri, Oct 23, 2026 Wes Streeting was slammed over his Question Time appearance (Image: BBC) Wes Streeting sparked fresh fury after issuing a warning about Russia during an appearance on BBC Question Time on Thursday (22 October).

The political debate show, hosted by Fiona Bruce, saw the Defence Secretary on the panel alongside Tom Tugendhat, Ellie Chowns, Stephanie Flanders and Geoff Norcott. Streeting faced backlash after responding to "Are we already in a proxy world war?" To which, he stated: "The threat from Russia isn't just in the land bordering east of our continent, it's in the seas around this country, it's around the Arctic, the high north. Those threats aren't just knocking on our door; they are also here in the form of tools, the threats that are sometimes called hybrid or grey zone, that I prefer to call state-sponsored terrorism."

The politician continued: "Which includes acts of sabotage, targeted assassinations, drone attacks , the mapping of our undersea cables," adding: "So we do have to take that really seriously." Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT , as . Taking to X/Twitter, one accused the MP of missing the point and raged: "On #BBCQT Wes Streeting lists all the ways that Russia is a threat to the UK, except social media, where they interfered in the Brexit referendum, and continue to stoke division on Twitter, Instagram , TikTok , Facebook, and elsewhere.

Left out here: Leaves out what changes the picture

The article never says that, in answer to the same question, Streeting set out the government's Be Ready campaign urging people to stockpile essentials for emergencies such as cyberattacks. The Express itself reported this the night before. Without it a reader believes he only listed threats and offered no government response.

How we know

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You can unsubscribe at any time. More Info . "A Defence Secretary who talks about national resilience should understand that our democracy and social cohesion are targets too. You cannot warn Britain about Russian threats while ignoring the online platforms where those threats reach millions of people." Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT They urged: "Streeting needs to explain how the Government intends to confront that part of the threat, not just list the hardware and hostile activity that are easier to point to."

Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT Piers Morgan on King Charles bombshell demand to Harry and Meghan in devastating new blow Kim Jong-Un’s ally delivers bombshell when asked if dictator is ‘still alive’ Streeting was accused of missing the point (Image: BBC) Another viewer chimed in: "The problem with Streeting, does anyone believe him? He seems to be full-time in double-glazing sales mode. "We all know what he wants, , but is that really where the country wants or needs to go?

We have had peace for over 80 years." This comes after MPs warned that Russia has been targeting Britain's vulnerable underwater cables and energy pipelines in the High North. The Commons Defence Committee said Britain has "glaring gaps" in its military capabilities in the strategically vital region, leaving the population, critical infrastructure and the UK's nuclear deterrent exposed to Russian threats. Russian President Vladimir Putin (Image: Getty) The Navy currently has five Type 23 frigates, which hunt submarines and help protect the UK's nuclear weapons, as well as six Type 45 destroyers.

However, these represent only just over half the Navy's requirement for 19 vessels. Committee chairman Tan Dhesi has said: "The High North poses a major strategic challenge for the UK's security. This is a demanding, hostile environment, and one that our greatest adversary, Russia , is seeking to dominate for military advantage. "The UK needs to be willing to address a hard truth: it does not currently have all the capabilities to operate successfully in the High North."

Mr Dhesi added that the Ministry of Defence had accepted a serious gap in anti-submarine warfare, while the low availability of destroyers, frigates and attack submarines raised questions about whether the UK could meet its commitments. He said: "And if the UK Government means what it says – that Russia could attack NATO as soon as 2030 – then work to rectify these vulnerabilities cannot start soon enough." Question Time Wes Streeting Russia Defence BBC Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Add us as preferred source Comments

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What we found (5)

The Daily Express turns two anonymous posts on X into a "car crash" and a wave of viewer fury, and its headline puts in quotation marks words that no one in the article said. In its own voice it says Streeting "refused" to explain how the government is defending the country, while other reports of the same answer show he spoke about the government's Be Ready campaign. It also prints, with nothing set against it, a viewer's insinuation that Streeting wants money "to disperse to friends and donors".

  1. States one side's claim as fact

    Serious

    “Streeting refused to share the ways in which the government is defending the country from these Russian attacks”

    Why this matters
    The Express says in its own voice that Streeting "refused" to explain how the government is responding.
    The impression it gives
    A reader believes Streeting was asked how the government defends the country and declined to say.
    The context
    Nothing in the article shows he was asked this or declined. Other reports of the same answer show he spoke about the government's Be Ready campaign, which urges the public to prepare for emergencies such as cyberattacks. The complaint comes from a viewer's post, not from anything he refused.

    Show it in the article

    Written straight

    Some viewers on X said Streeting listed threats from Russia without explaining how the government would counter online interference. In the same answer he set out the government's Be Ready campaign.

  2. Leaves out what changes the picture

    Serious

    What is missing

    The article never says that, in answer to the same question, Streeting set out the government's Be Ready campaign urging people to stockpile essentials for emergencies such as cyberattacks. The Express itself reported this the night before. Without it a reader believes he only listed threats and offered no government response.

    How we know

    Show where it belongs

  3. Headline goes beyond the article

    Minor

    “'misses the entire point'”

    Why this matters
    The headline puts 'misses the entire point' in quotation marks, as if someone said it.
    The impression it gives
    A reader takes it that a critic, or the show itself, judged that Streeting missed the entire point.
    The context
    No one in the article says these words. The only source is one anonymous X user who "accused the MP of missing the point". The headline strengthens that and dresses it up as a quotation.

    How we know

    • Elsewhere in the article“one accused the MP of missing the point”

    Show it in the article

  4. Smears a named person

    Minor

    “a bigger budget to disperse to friends and donors”

    Why this matters
    The Express prints an anonymous viewer's claim that Streeting wants a bigger budget to hand out to friends and donors, and sets nothing against it.
    The impression it gives
    A reader is left with the suggestion that the Defence Secretary wants defence money for cronies.
    The context
    This is a charge of corruption against a named minister. The article offers no fact to support it, gives no response from Streeting, and moves straight on to the Defence Committee.

    Show it in the article

  5. Uses a loaded word

    Minor

    “car crash”

    Why this matters
    The headline calls the appearance a "car crash" in the outlet's own voice.
    The impression it gives
    A reader expects that the appearance went badly wrong on air.
    The context
    The body reports a measured answer about Russian threats and two critical posts on X. Nothing describes a disastrous moment.

    How we know

    • Elsewhere in the article“Another viewer chimed in”

    Show it in the article

    “BBC viewers were left fuming”

    Why this matters
    The Express speaks of BBC viewers in general as fuming.
    The impression it gives
    A reader believes the audience at large reacted with anger.
    The context
    The article cites only two X users, one in S9 and one in S18.

    How we know

    • Elsewhere in the article“Taking to X/Twitter, one accused”

    Show it in the article

How other outlets reported it

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