Sir Jacob Rees-Mog hosts State of the Nation every Monday to Thursday evening on GB News
Five episodes of GB News programmes hosted by serving Tory MPs have been found to have broken broadcasting rules by media regulator Ofcom.
They include two episodes of Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg’s State of the Nation, and three of shows fronted by married MPs Esther McVey and Philip Davies.
Politicians are not normally allowed to host news programmes under Ofcom rules, but can present current affair shows.
GB News said it was “deeply concerned” by the “chilling” decision.
The episodes in question were broadcast in May and June 2023, and included a mix of news and current affairs, Ofcom said.
But during the programmes, the “host politicians acted as newsreaders, news interviewers or news reporters in sequences which clearly constituted news – including reporting breaking news events – without exceptional justification”, according to Ofcom investigations.
The regulator concluded: “News was, therefore, not presented with due impartiality.”
Its statement added: “Politicians have an inherently partial role in society, and news content presented by them is likely to be viewed by audiences in light of that perceived bias.
“In our view, the use of politicians to present the news risks undermining the integrity and credibility of regulated broadcast news.”
In response, GB News said: “We are deeply concerned by the decisions Ofcom has made today. We will raise this directly with the regulator in the strongest possible terms.
“Ofcom is obliged by law to promote free speech and media plurality, and to ensure that alternative voices are heard.”
Its latest decisions “contravene those duties” and raise “serious questions about Ofcom’s oversight over its own regulations”, the channel added.
