THE BBC has come under heavy fire on social media after it ran a story about UK law being used to “hound” the Government into sticking to its climate change commitments.

The article describes “a fusillade of legal challenges” facing Conservative ministers as they try to build infrastructure projects in contravention of existing laws. It was run under the headline: “Climate change: Law used as stick to beat government.”

When shared on social media the BBC article caused outrage, with many Twitter users labelling it "blatant" Tory, state, or government “propaganda” and some saying they had sent complaints to the corporation.

One user wrote: “I say cut out the middleman and just let the government write the news themselves,” while another added: “Government forced to follow Government policy. When will the madness end?”

Others said the article was “partisan” and “slanted” and had dispensed with “all subtlety”.

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Glasgow-based writer Pete Alex Harris said: “The framing is nakedly pro-government which is an unsurprising problem from the BBC, but you also have to ask yourself, what stick should we pick up instead if the government don't want to obey the law?”

Calum Carson, from Leeds University Business School, said it was “absolutely staggering” that the BBC had put out an article “that could also double as a Number Ten press release rather than a supposedly neutral news service”.

Another user highlighted the bias in the headline, writing: “Can you imagine this framing being used for things like: ‘Law used as stick to beat shoplifters’; ‘Law used as stick to beat speeding motorists’; ‘Law used as stick to beat non-payers of BBC license fee’.”

When one person pointed out that the headline was not in quote marks, another replied: “It's not a quote, or at least not one that appears in the article. It's the BBC journalist editorialising.”

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The article’s rhetoric is reminiscent of Priti Patel and Boris Johnson’s attacks on “do-gooders” and “lefty lawyers” in October this year.

Speaking at the time, Law Society president Simon Davis warned the Government’s words may lead to violence, adding: “Ministers must be unequivocal in their support for the rule of law.”

The spokesperson quoted in the controversial BBC article did not mention the legal profession, but said the Government takes its “commitments on the environment and reducing greenhouse gas emissions seriously”.

Asked how the article fit into its impartiality guidelines, the BBC said: "Anyone who reads this article beyond the headline would be able to see that it is a comprehensive story which covers in detail the arguments being made by the Good Law Project, as well as challenges being brought by another environmental group, Plan B.

"The BBC reports impartially, without fear or favour and our coverage features a wide range of different perspectives."