THE BBC has responded to a complaint from a Tory MP that it “lacked impartiality” in its reporting on GB News.
Despite already reaching a conclusion, the broadcaster’s Executive Complaints Unit (ECU) re-assessed allegations made against a Newsnight programme after Tory MP and GB News host Philip Davies complained about the same issue again.
Davies’s complaint focused on a broadcast on September 27 which saw a discussion around then-GB News host Laurence Fox’s “misogynistic” attack on a female journalist.
Fox was ultimately sacked by the channel and forced to U-turn on refusals to apologise after he called political reporter Ava Evans a “little woman” and asked: “Who would want to shag that?”
Newsnight discussed GB News and Fox’s comments without a representative from the channel present – despite invitations having been sent.
On October 5, the BBC responded to initial complaints about the broadcast. It made clear that no one who might have been “likely to defend the channel” responded to invitations to appear, and said it accepted the programme would have been better if someone had been willing to “robustly defend the channel”.
The ECU also said: “Each of the three guests on the panel was well qualified to give their views on a discussion that was wider than simply GB News itself but which covered broader questions about the UK's broadcasting regulatory environment.
“And in the absence of anyone representing GB News, [host] Victoria Derbyshire did challenge Adam Boulton on the fact that he spoke as someone who is part of the established media and therefore might have a vested interest in criticising the channel.”
But Davies – who presents a GB News show alongside his fellow Tory MP and wife Esther McVey (below) – complained to the BBC about the same issue again.
The broadcaster has now responded to Davies, concluding that its response on October 5 was sufficient.
It said: “The ECU noted, however, that BBC News had posted a statement on the complaints pages of the BBC website on 5 October which acknowledged that the item had suffered from the absence of a representative of GB News’ viewpoint. “In the ECU’s judgment this sufficed to resolve the issue of complaint.”
Davies and GB News have leapt on the BBC’s more recent statement, claiming it shows “a mealy-mouthed, grudging acceptance that the programme was indeed in breach of rules of impartiality”.
Davies also accused the BBC of “dragging out the process” and said he would complain to Ofcom.
The Tory MP said in a statement released through the channel: “The BBC Newsnight programme about GB News was totally biased and completely unacceptable.”
He went on: “A number of my constituents contacted me to complain. I complained on their behalf to the BBC and it has taken precisely one month to get their final response with a mealy-mouthed, grudging acceptance that the programme was indeed in breach of rules of impartiality, although it is disappointing that their final decision spent more time seeking to justify their actions than apologising.
“I have therefore referred the matter to Ofcom and asked them to investigate this clear breach in their rules on due impartiality.
“I await their confirmation that they are launching an investigation.”
