TELL OFCOM: These air pollution claims are unscientific, inaccurate and misleading

Watch: GB News guest directly contradicts the scientific evidence linking air pollution to road transport — and calls the negative health impacts a “lie”. 

On 13 June 2024, a guest appeared on the Breakfast show with Stephen and Ellie in a discussion about banning petrol cars and the potential impact on reducing air pollution. During his appearance, he claimed that “The direct line of assault that tries to link the cars with people’s health as the Mayor [of London] did has been shown to be actually a lie with interference in science”.

In doing so, the guest made an unscientific, inaccurate and misleading claim to GB News viewers about air pollution that violates Ofcom rules 5.1 and 5.7. Submit your complaint to Ofcom using this form and by following the guidance below. 

Programme details:

Programme title: Breakfast with Stephen and Ellie
Date of broadcast: 13 June 2024
Time of broadcast (24 hour clock): 8:27
Channel / station*: GB News

Your complaint:

Subject: GB News’ Breakfast show broke Ofcom rules 5.1 and 5.7 which require accuracy and forbid the misrepresentation of views and facts, with a guest making incorrect and unscientific claims about air pollution.

Description:

Here’s a few bullet points to include:

• On 13th June 2024, Alan Miller of the Together Declaration appeared on the Breakfast show with Stephen and Ellie in a discussion about banning petrol cars and the potential impact on reducing air pollution. During his appearance, he claimed that “The direct line of assault that tries to link the cars with people’s health as the Mayor [of London] did has been shown to be actually a lie with interference in science”.
• Miller provided no source for this claim. This claim goes against established science, including independent analysis published by Imperial College London in September 2023 into TRAP (‘traffic-related air pollution’). This analysis finds that “air pollution from road transport is ubiquitous in our urban areas affecting both our health and the wider environment” and cites “a strong scientific consensus demonstrating that both short and the long-term exposures to TRAP have multiple adverse impacts on human health”. Adverse health impacts from vehicle-related pollution are also testified to by the
  World Health Organisation, Oxford University research, the American Lung Association, and others.
• This scientific evidence directly contradicts Alan Miller’s claim that links between cars and negative health impacts are a “lie”. In reality, Miller made an unscientific, inaccurate and misleading claim to GB News viewers about air pollution that violates Ofcom rules 5.1 and 5.7.