Abi McGuire, an independent candidate for the Wells and Mendip Hills seat, says she has been excluded from the upcoming BBC Radio 4 Today programme hustings.

The event, scheduled to be hosted by Justin Webb at Blackford Village Hall on Tuesday, 11 June at 6 pm, aims to offer constituents the opportunity to question candidates. However, McGuire says that her repeated requests to be included have been denied.

McGuire has spent 18 months personally engaging with voters, knocking on 22,027 doors, and attending all 51 parish council meetings

She said: "The system of patronage and the BBC's charter to 'inform, educate and entertain' should not be biased.

"Yet, it seems they are determined to silence my voice and the thousands of people who have engaged with me.

"I will continue to inform the public on my own terms. While they may keep me from the inside, they cannot stop me from reaching out to the people outside the venue on the day."

In response to being sidelined, McGuire plans to host her own event outside the venue to ensure that her voice and the concerns of her supporters are heard.

She added about the upcoming gathering, "On Tuesday, I'll also be covering the entertaining."

The BBC has been contacted for comment.

• The candidates for the seat are Meg Powell-Chandler (Conservative), Helen Hims (Reform UK), Abi McGuire (independent), Tessa Munt (Liberal Democrats), Joe Joseph (Labour) and Peter Welsh (Green Party).