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Landlord Fergus Wilson accuses BBC of bias after Panorama documentary

Controversial landlord Fergus Wilson has accused the BBC of bias after it aired a special edition of Panorama focused on his career.

Reporter Richard Bilton met with the outspoken property mogul and discussed his plans to mass-evict families so he can sell his residential properties.

Yet Mr Wilson, 70, who owned about 1,000 homes across Maidstone and Ashford at the peak of his empire, has criticised the way he was portrayed in the programme.

Fergus Wilson has criticised the BBC's Panorama documentary about him
Fergus Wilson has criticised the BBC's Panorama documentary about him

The episode prompted a backlash against the landlord from Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn among many others, who called for an end to "revenge evictions".

The show took aim at many of his past decisions, such as his announcement he would ban on “coloured” tenants - because they allegedly left curry smells in his homes.

He recently evicted four mothers in Ashford and in September, he triggered a police response when he threw his plate of fish and chips on the floor at a service station.

Yet Mr Wilson claimed the programme ignored his views on problems with the buy-to-let housing market and urged the BBC to throw Mr Bilton "on the scrapheap".

He said: "The BBC is known as the Biased Broadcasting Corporation for very good reason.

Fergus Wilson
Fergus Wilson

"Every time Richard Bilton is on a housing programme it is the same old gramophone record of the poor parents with children with nowhere to go.

"It is a subject close to his heart. However, he does the TV audience no good at all by talking up precious time showing tenants forced out and avoiding dealing with the causation of the problem.

"No time was spent dealing with the prime issue of why are landlords leaving buy-to-let in their hoards due to the punitive tax regimes being introduced for landlords by the government.

"I am slightly different as I am retiring due to old age but for those younger landlords exiting buy-to-let, it is because the government has made it so unattractive.

"I ran through the reasons why the private sector is no longer investing but it was cut out in favour of Richard Bilton’s same old song.

"The government needs to address just why the private sector landlord is no longer investing.

"It is time for Richard Bilton to be thrown on the scrapheap. He is out of time and out of touch."

The Panomara programme prompted a wave of criticism against Mr Wilson.

Jeremy Corbyn said: "We'll be on the side of tenants and people without a home to call their own, not rogue landlords.

"It's time to end revenge evictions."

Leanne Emma Holmes said: "Sadly they didn't have air time to show the extent of what Fergus Wilson has put us & others through.

"Leaving a family with a toddler & pregnant woman 45 days without a working boiler and evicting them for complaining is disgusting."

Katherine Denham said: "Fergus Wilson aside, the fact that the law allows landlords to evict families with young children for no clear reason, forcing people into homelessness because they can’t afford the high fees to rent another property, just shows what's wrong with our rental sector."

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