TELL OFCOM: GB News are letting Reform’s Net Zero claims go unchallenged

Watch: Reform Party’s Deputy Leader Richard Tice makes several unfounded and unchallenged claims about Net Zero on GB News.

On 20 September 2024, Deputy Leader of the Reform Party Richard Tice was interviewed outside the Reform Party conference. Tice was previously worked for GB News as a presenter and his party leader Nigel Farage is also a presenter on GB News.

In the interview, Tice made several unfounded claims about Net Zero, which the GB News hosts did not push back on or challenge, including referring to the “absolute catastrophe of the cult of Net Zero”.

The segment breached Ofcom rules 5.5 and 5.7, which require “due impartiality on matters of political or industrial controversy”, such as Net Zero, and that “views and facts must not be misrepresented”.

Submit your complaint to Ofcom using this form and by following the guidance below. 

Programme details:

Programme title: Breakfast with Ellie and Miriam
Date of broadcast: 20 September 2024
Time of broadcast (24 hour clock): 9:17
Channel / station: GB News

Your complaint:

Subject: GB News interviewed Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice outside the party conference and failed to challenge any of his unproven and contentious claims about Net Zero. This violated Ofcom rules 5.5 and 5.7.

Description:

Here’s a few bullet points to include:

• On 20th September, GB News interviewed Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice live outside the party conference. Tice himself is a former employee of GB News. In the interview, Tice made a series of contentious claims, including criticising the “absolute catastrophe of the cult of Net Zero” as a preview of his forthcoming party conference speech. He also claimed that Reform are “up in the polls in Scotland because people see this common sense of our policy against Net Zero”. Finally, he described Chancellor Rachel Reeves as “utterly clueless” for not “scrap[ping] Net Zero” among other reasons.
• None of these claims were challenged by the host. It is imperative that broadcasters who interview political figures, especially at a party conference, challenge contentious claims that they make on the programme. This segment featured no proof for any of the claims and featured no opposing viewpoints. Meanwhile, major scientific bodies, such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, are all in agreement about the urgency to curb emissions. The segment was a violation of Ofcom rules 5.5 and 5.7. The rules require “due impartiality on matters of political or industrial controversy”, such as Net Zero, and that “views and facts must not be misrepresented”.