TELL OFCOM: GB News is making unfounded claims about Net Zero again

Watch: GB News guest predicts that Net Zero will cause “almost armageddon” where people are “going to do die”.

On 24 August 2024, GB News host Darren Grimes labelled Energy Secretary a “green zealot’, while a GB News guest made a series of unfounded claims, comparing the Net Zero policy to a “dictatorship” that is posing an “almost armageddon” risk to people.

The misleading coverage of Net Zero and general lack of balance in the segment represented a violation of Ofcom rules 2.2 and 5.7.

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

Programme details:

Programme title: Nana Akua
Date of broadcast: 24 August 2024
Time of broadcast (24 hour clock): 16:31
Channel / station: GB News

Your complaint:

Subject: GB News violated impartiality rules by allowing a host to label the Energy Secretary a “green zealot”. It also allowed a GB News guest to allege that Net Zero will cause “almost armageddon” where people are left with “no heat” and “are going to die”.

Description:

Here’s a few bullet points to include:

• On 24 August 2024, GB News host Darren Grimes – filling in for Nana Akua – unfairly labelled Ed Miliband a “green zealot” in a discussion about the Labour Government’s energy policy. GB News guest Suzanne Evans, who has previously represented the Conservative Party and UKIP, then stated “This is like a new religion. You look at how religions operate and how top-down dictatorships they are, how they kind of pull the wool over their eyes, how they make statements of faith. And this is what Ed Miliband reminds me of when he starts talking about Net Zero. He’s a zealot, pure and simple”.
• Evans then went on to claim that she foresees “almost an armageddon scenario” from the pursuit of Net Zero policies, where “we’re going to be left with no light, no heat” and “people are going to die because they’re cold”. GB News host Darren Grimes then interjected to falsely claim that “people have died” from Net Zero policies. This part of the discussion also lacked balance or evidence. It is an unfounded opinion to claim that Net Zero will cause armageddon and death and this requires balance in programming. Grimes’ claim that people have died from Net Zero policies is also unevidenced. 
• In this segment, GB News violated Ofcom rule 2.2, which requires that “portrayals of factual matters must not materially mislead the audience”. Grimes’ claims about Net Zero deaths is one example of misleading the audience. The general lack of balance and due impartiality in the segment is a violation of Ofcom rule 5.7.