GB News breached impartiality rules when two Conservative MPs interviewed the chancellor ahead of the spring budget and “failed to represent a wide range of key views”, it found Ofcom.
Esther McVey, a former pensions minister, and her husband Philip Davies, a long-serving MP, are accused of hosting a “love-in” interview with Jeremy Hunt on 11 March for their weekly morning show on the channel.
The pre-recorded interview broadcast in a two-hour program, Saturday morning with Esther and Philip, prompted 45 complaints due to its failure to preserve impartiality.
GB News said the program was delivered in an “exciting and innovative way”. The channel added that it was disappointed by the broadcasting watchdog’s decision and called Ofcom’s definition of impartiality “inaccurate”.
Following an investigation launched in April, Ofcom found that the program “overrepresented the views of different strands of opinion within the Conservative party”.
The watchdog said on Monday: “There will be limited references to the UK’s wider economic and fiscal policy outlook in the context of the upcoming budget.
“For example, no real attention is given anywhere in the program to the views of politicians, political parties, organizations or individuals who, for example, criticize, oppose or put policy alternatives to the views given by the three You are a Conservative politician.”
The channel “must take further steps to ensure that impartiality is preserved” because the program featured “two sitting MP presenters from one political party interviewing the chancellor of same political party on a matter of major political controversy and current public policy”.
During the interview, McVey asked Hunt if he was “ashamed, ashamed” to have “the highest level of taxation in modern history”.
Ofcom’s decision on Monday marks GB News’ third breach since it launched in June 2021. GB News said in a statement: “We are disappointed by Ofcom’s ruling on our programme, Saturday Morning with Esther and Phil. We feel that the regulator’s definition of ‘due to impartiality’ is imprecise.
“Ofcom’s finding also admitted that our program included ‘discussion of a wider range of views’ in its interview with chancellor Jeremy Hunt ahead of his budget in March.
“This includes opinions from independent journalist and commentator Michael Crick and SDP politician Patrick O’Flynn, who disagree with Mr Hunt on some key points.
“Our program features different perspectives from our audience, and from two business owners who offer different perspectives on how the issues affect them. Our two presenters, both Conservative MP, also challenged Mr Hunt.
“GB News has chosen to be regulated by Ofcom, and we are proud to play our part in bringing a wider range of opinion to Britain’s media landscape. We take compliance seriously, and we believe that our program it has been adopted. We will consider Ofcom’s view.”
