Question Time was cut short on Thursday evening after an audience member fell ill during the recording.

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BBC1’s political debate show ended after 40 minutes – rather than the usual hour – because a woman in the audience needed first aid and it was not safe to move her.

Host David Dimbleby explained: “I'm afraid at this point we had to curtail this edition of Question Time. An audience member was taken ill and could not be safely removed, so we had to bring the programme to a close.

“My apologies for this curtailed edition of Question Time."

A post on the show's official Twitter page stated that it was Question Time’s priority to make sure the ill audience member was looked after.

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Business Secretary Greg Clarke, Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott, former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Lord Hogan-Howe, former chief executive of Marks and Spencer Lord Rose and crime writer Dreda Say Mitchell made up the panel on Thursday at Colchester Town Hall in Essex.

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Andrew Neil's political show This Week, which was scheduled to begin at 11.45pm, was moved forward to fill the gap in the schedules.

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