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TV channel GB News has repeatedly broken broadcasting impartiality rules by using politicians such as former cabinet minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg as news presenters, according to the UK media watchdog.
Ofcom warned on Monday that the lossmaking network was “on notice” that any further breaches risked triggering a statutory sanction — which could include a fine — after it found that five separate programmes broke rules.
The broadcaster, co-owned by hedge fund boss Paul Marshall, has carved out a niche in hiring right-leaning politicians to host current affairs shows. Current and former hosts include Reform UK president Nigel Farage, and Conservative MPs Rees-Mogg, Philip Davies and Esther McVey.
Ofcom found that five shows presented by Rees-Mogg, Davies and McVey breached rules over broadcasters’ requirement to provide an impartial stance when showing news.
The regulator said “politicians have an inherently partial role in society and news content presented by them is likely to be viewed by audiences in light of that perceived bias”.
It added: “In our view, the use of politicians to present the news risks undermining the integrity and credibility of regulated broadcast news.”
In a statement, GB News said it was “deeply concerned” by Ofcom’s rulings and that the regulator’s “decisions, in some cases a year after the programme aired, contravene [its] duties”.
The channel said it would continue to feature serving politicians as hosts, adding: “This is a chilling development for all broadcasters, for freedom of speech, and for everyone in the United Kingdom. These decisions go against established precedent and raise serious questions about Ofcom’s oversight over its own regulations.”
Ofcom’s findings against the five programmes are the first time it has found that GB News has breached rules over the use of politicians as presenters. The rulings also come ahead of a report from the regulator looking at the issue across the sector.
GB News — which posted a pre-tax loss of £42.4mn in its 2022-23 accounts this month — has been criticised for taking a partisan stance, including in its coverage of current affairs.
This has led to greater scrutiny because of its growing importance and influence in rightwing political discourse in the run-up to the UK general election expected this year.
Ofcom is also separately investigating whether an hour-long Q&A with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak that aired on the network last month breached UK broadcasting rules, and is pursuing several further probes into the channel’s programmes.
The watchdog on Monday said two episodes of Rees-Mogg’s State of the Nation, two episodes of Friday Morning with Esther and Phil, and one episode of Saturday Morning with Esther and Phil breached the broadcasting code.
It found that the host politicians had acted as newsreaders, interviewers or reporters in sequences that “clearly constituted news” — including reporting breaking news events.
Under the UK’s broadcasting code, news must be presented with due impartiality, which prevents politicians acting as newsreaders. Politicians can appear as an interviewee or guest, however.
A sixth programme — a separate episode of Rees-Mogg’s State of the Nation — was investigated but cleared because the MP for North East Somerset was used as an eyewitness during a security incident at Buckingham Palace.
Some media commentators have questioned why Ofcom has not taken any stronger action against the channel other than a series of warnings, despite its repeated breaches of the rules.
