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Thomas Skinner has reiterated that he was paid £2,000 for taking part in Question Time, the BBC have stated that they only pay non-politicians £150 to take part. The former Apprentice and Strictly Come Dancing star had joined host Fiona Bruce on Thursday evening to discuss current affairs alongside justice minister Jake Richards, former security minister Tom Tugendhat and Liberal Democrats' Layla Moran. He took part in the debate while the programme aired in the location of Clacton-on-Sea.

He had previously told his followers that the gig pays well and said he was given £2,000 for taking part in the show, telling them that he wasn't there to represent a party, and was simply there because it paid well and he enjoys watching it. His claim quickly brought along an influx of backlash due to the high fee.

In a statement to The Sun, Thomas has since said: "My understanding of the fee came directly from my management, who informed me that I would be paid £2,000 for attending. I'm a big fan of Question Time and really enjoyed being part of the show." However, he did note that it is still work, and has to treat these opportunities as part of his job.

A BBC spokesperson has stated on multiple occasions since Thursday that Question Time offers a fee of £150 to panellists who aren't politicians.

The outrage has occurred after Thomas wrote on X: "I'm not there representing any party. I'm there because it pays £2,000 and I like watching Question Time...

"I've been asked probably 9 or 10 times to attend over the last 4 or 5 years. So I decided to give it a go. And I really enjoyed it.'"

The backlash followed his appearance in which he spoke about the dangers of social media usage for young people. Host Fiona Bruce had told him: "You are benefiting from social media, you make part of your living that way and, part of the reason you are able to do so is because of the addictive algorithms that will push people towards [it]. It is giving you a platform, and job opportunities come your way because of it. In the nicest possible way, you are part of the problem."

Thomas then stated that he knows it's bad with people doomscrolling, and explained the type of content he had on his profile which also prompted the other panellists to defend him stating that his clips "do not drive the worst of the algorithm" online. Guest Layla added that there were people online "prompting hate", and "putting people against each other".