Labour considers crackdown on MPs hosting own shows after GB News row
Labour is looking at toughening Ofcom’s powers around politicians hosting their own TV and radio shows due to concerns about impartiality, the shadow Culture Secretary has hinted.
Thangam Debbonaire revealed that she has already held talks with the regulator, Ofcom, to discuss how it can better uphold the rules around impartiality for broadcast channels.
It comes after complaints were made about mainly Conservative MPs interviewing one another on the right-wing channel GB News, with several Tories, including Jacob Rees-Mogg, hosting shows.
Similar complaints were made about the shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who hosts his own radio slot on LBC on Sundays.
In an interview with The House magazine, Ms Debbonaire said: “It’s quite a challenge for me to see how we resolve having politicians of a particular party with programmes on a station that’s called news, when we have news regulation that is quite strict about political impartiality and balance.”
The Shadow Cabinet member (inset) added that she has “already met Ofcom” to discuss whether it has the tools it requires to ensure politicians are abiding by the rules.
According to the Ofcom code, politicians cannot be a newsreader, interviewer or reporter in a news programme “unless, exceptionally, it is editorially justified”, but MPs are allowed to host current affair programmes.
The watchdog found five of GB News’s shows where Conservative MPs were hosts had broken broadcast rules, prompting the regulator to warn the broadcaster it could face fines or have its licence revoked if such contraventions were repeated.
Last month Ofcom launched an investigation into Mr Lammy’s radio show after one episode in March attracted 51 complaints.
Asked about this, Ms Debbonaire said: “I think what David’s done with the show is use it as a means of communicating.” She added: “Ofcom will have to regulate any and all news outlets for how they put that content together and whether or not it complies with impartiality.” Ms Debbonaire also appeared cool on suggestions that a Labour government could introduce free BBC licence fees to people on benefits, saying that the licence fee was “not something I am looking at”.