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LONDON — A show hosted by Conservative politician Jacob Rees-Mogg on the right-wing TV channel GB News show has been found in breach of U.K. broadcasting rules.
The politician dubbed the “member of parliament for the 18th century” broke rules set by Ofcom, the U.K.’s media regulator, with his Jacob Rees-Mogg’s State of the Nation program on two occasions.
An investigation found episodes of the former business secretary’s show broadcast last May and June failed to present news with due impartiality.
Ofcom regulations bar politicians from acting as a newsreaders, news interviewers or news reporters, although they can present current affairs programs — wording which has been criticized for its ambiguity.
The regulator added using politicians to present the news “risks undermining the integrity and credibility of regulated broadcast news.”
Rees-Mogg earns more than £29,000 a month for presenting his show four times a week.
His was one of three GB News shows to break the rules, with Tory couple Esther McVey and Philip Davies’ Friday and Saturday morning program found in breach of the code on three occasions. Their shows ended after McVey returned to the Cabinet in November in a role dubbed “minister for common sense.”
In a statement, a GB News spokesperson described Ofcom’s decision as a “chilling development for all broadcasters, for freedom of speech, and for everyone in the United Kingdom.”
The regulator said the broadcaster, often dubbed right-wing due to its presenting line-up, was put “on notice” that any further code breaches could result in the “imposition of a statutory sanction.”
Ofcom is currently also investigating the channel under due impartiality rules after receiving around 500 complaints last month about a show in which viewers questioned Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for an hour.
Rees-Mogg, McVey and Davies were approached for comment.
