London (Parliament Politic Magazine) – Ofcom has launched an investigation of Rishi Sunak’s recent appearance on GB News. Prime Minister‘s hour-long ‘grilling’ on GB News is the conservative network’s most delinquent to be investigated by Ofcom.
The Office of Communications, generally known as Ofcom, is the government-authorized regulatory and competition regime for the broadcasting, telecommunications, and postal enterprises of the United Kingdom. Ofcom has wide-ranging controls across the television, radio, telecom, and postal sectors.
The regulator stated that the Prime Minister drew more than 500 complaints today. Sunak responded to questions from an audience on various topics before the show cut back to the studio, and a Conservative lawmaker was questioned for his “verdict.” No alternative viewpoints were pursued throughout the show.
Ofcom said this morning that People’s Forum is being scrutinized under Rules 5.11 and 5.12 of its Broadcasting Code, “which equip additional due impartiality conditions for programs dealing with matters of significant political controversy and significant matters relating to current public policy.”
“Specifically, Rules 5.11 and 5.12 require that an appropriately wide range of significant views must be included and given due weight in such programs, or in clearly linked and timely programs,” it added.
The “due impartiality” requirement in current affairs output does not imply that the same amount of time needs to be given to differing views. However, audiences need to be exposed to alternative ways of thinking.
The move indicates that GB News will continue falling foul of the Broadcasting Code as we enter 2024. Ofcom is also investigating GB News for about a dozen other shows, including many over neutrality issues and the issue of political figures presenting topical programs.
Deadline disclosed last month that Ofcom has postponed publishing research on politicians presenting news shows until the UK media regulator has reached critical rulings on GB News.
Mr Sunak was also grilled by a GB News audience over tax cuts, the NHS, and his Rwanda project. He demanded that he “understood” the public’s frustration with some issues after 14 years of Conservative Government.
During the event, he was pushed on NHS backlogs and was forced to defend his flagship Rwanda policy. Mr. Sunak was asked by one voter why he was sticking to the Rwanda plan “when public documentation shows it isn’t working and that it’s not going to work.”
He answered: “To fully solve this problem, we need a deterrent. We need to be able to say pretty simply and unequivocally that if you come to our country illegally, you won’t get to stay.
“We want to be able to remove you either to your home country if it’s safe like we’ve done with Albania, and for everyone else, we need an alternative, and that’s what Rwanda is about.
“I’m committed to getting this bill through parliament and getting this scheme up and running.”
During the show, Mr Sunak blamed the pandemic for the NHS backlog.