Channel 4 News presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy has been taken off air for a week after he swore at Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker following an interview.
A statement from the broadcaster said: “Channel 4 has a strict code of conduct for all its employees, including its programming teams and on-air presenters, and takes any breaches seriously. Following an off-air incident Channel 4 News anchor Krishnan Guru-Murthy has been taken off air for a week.”
Guru-Murthy will not return to Channel 4 News before November 4 due to a pre-existing week of leave.
Guru-Murthy has apologised “unreservedly” to Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker after swearing at him in an “unguarded moment”.
The broadcaster said the remark followed a “robust interview” with Mr Baker but it was “beneath the standards I set myself”.
It comes after yet another tumultuous day in Westminster which saw Suella Braverman resign as home secretary.
During an off-air moment after his exchange with Mr Baker, Guru-Murthy was heard to say “what a c***”.
He later tweeted: “After a robust interview with Steve Baker MP I used a very offensive word in an unguarded moment off air.
“While it was not broadcast that word in any context is beneath the standards I set myself and I apologise unreservedly.
“I have reached out to Steve Baker to say sorry.”
In an interview with Times Radio, Baker said that sacking Guru-Murthy would be a “service to the public” if he was found to be in breach of his code of conduct.
“I had an interview earlier with a journalist I don’t have a great deal of regard for who I felt was misrepresenting the situation through the construction of his question, which I called out, I think live on air, or I thought it was a pre-record,” he said.
“And he clearly didn’t like that, quite right, too. But I’d be quite honest, I spent a long time live on air, calling him out on his conduct as a journalist and glad to do so any time.
“But it’s most unfortunate that he’s sworn on air like that. If it’s in breach of his code of conduct, I do hope they sack him – it would be a service to the public.”
Baker later replied to Guru-Murthy’s tweet, accepting the apology and saying he “appreciated” the gesture.
