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TELL OFCOM: A GB News host and elected MP is calling opposition MPs “dangerous” and “lunatics” for their energy policies

Watch: GB News host and elected MP Lee Anderson attacks the Energy Secretary and wider government as “dangerous” and “lunatics” over their energy policy. Meanwhile his guest claims that Ed Miliband’s “ridiculous climate ideology thing” will lead to us wearing “sackcloths”.

Read our complaint against GB News

On 6 September 2024, GB News host and elected MP Lee Anderson discussed Labour’s GB Energy project. He used this discussion to label the Energy Secretary as “probably the most dangerous man in the country at the moment politically” and claimed that “the lunatics have taken over the asylum”. His guest was in agreement, and claimed that the Energy Secretary is following a “lunacy ideology” and “ridiculous climate ideology thing” which will leave us wearing “sackcloths” and “riding horses”.

This segment violated Ofcom rules 5.1, 5.5, 5.7 and 7.1 which require impartiality, the accurate representation of facts and the avoidance of “unjust or unfair treatment of individuals”.

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

Programme details:

Programme title: Lee Anderson’s Real World
Date of broadcast: 6 September 2024
Time of broadcast (24 hour clock): 19:04
Channel / station: GB News

Your complaint:

Subject: Elected MP Lee Anderson used his platform as host on GB News to engage in, and platform, ad hominem attacks on Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and others in the Labour Government, in violation of Ofcom rules 5.1, 5.5, 5.7, and 7.1.

Description:

Here’s a few bullet points to include:

  • On 6 September, GB News host and Reform UK MP Lee Anderson said that Ed Miliband “is probably the most dangerous man in the country at the moment politically”, referring to his role as energy secretary. He also criticised the government’s energy policy saying that “the lunatics have taken over the asylum”. As a GB News host, Lee Anderson is expected to comply with due impartiality requirements set out in rules 5.1 and 5.5, however he used his platform to engage in ad hominem criticisms labelling politicians as “dangerous” and “lunatics”. His role as an MP and news host makes this breach of impartiality even more concerning. His comments also violated Ofcom rule 7.1, which requires avoiding “unjust or unfair treatment of individuals or organisations in programmes”. 
  • GB News guest, Russel Quirk added that he thinks “Ed Miliband is not only the most dangerous man in Britain at the moment, he’s a climate zealot” and “he’s not thinking about the consequences of this ridiculous climate ideology thing”. Quirk falsely claimed that the policy is “doing away with all oil and gas” by 2030 and alleged that the government’s energy policies will leave “the city of Aberdeen completely wiped off the map” and “we’re all going to be in sackcloths and, you know, riding horses again, just because Ed Miliband has this lunacy ideology”. Quirk’s comments similarly violated rules 5.1 and 5.5 for engaging in personal attacks on Miliband. His false claims about oil and gas, presented as fact, represent a violation of Ofcom rule 5.7, which requires that “facts must not be misrepresented”.
Deadline for complaints: October 4, 2024 11:59 pm

Submitting a complaint to Ofcom should take you less than 10 minutes and is completed via a form on their website.

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Read our guide

Submitting a complaint to Ofcom should take you less than 10 minutes and is completed via a form on their website.

  • Ofcom is the UK’s public regulator for communications services. Among other responsibilities, their job is to ensure that TV channels uphold the Broadcasting Code. This code requires broadcasters to protect the public from harmful and offensive material, avoid unjust or unfair treatment of individuals and organisations, and report the news with due accuracy and impartiality.
  • Ofcom has real power to yield. Sanctions they can issue include directions not to repeat content, fines — and crucially, the power to suspend or revoke a TV channel’s licence to broadcast.
  • Ofcom must carefully consider every single complaint to see if their rules have been broken. If the complaint is strong, Ofcom will launch a formal investigation process.
  • Ofcom will not reply to each specific complaint but instead publishes records of the complaints received, investigations underway and breaches on their website, every fortnight.
  • Complaints must be about a specific breach of the code and submitted within 20 days of the program going to air.