“Landmark” Win for GB News as High Court Overrules Ofcom Over Jacob Rees-Mogg Show
GB News has won a “landmark” victory over Ofcom after a High Court judge ruled the watchdog was wrong to accuse Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg of breaking the broadcasting code on his show. The Telegraph has the story.
GB News mounted a legal challenge after Ofcom concluded that GB News had breached regulations about the use of politicians as presenters in two programmes fronted by Sir Jacob.
In her judgment on Friday, Justice Mrs Collins Rice said the decisions were “vitiated by error of law” as the regulator had failed to distinguish between a news programme and a current affairs show.
She quashed the verdicts and sent them back to Ofcom to be reconsidered, adding: “I take no view of the merits or the possible outcomes of any such investigations or reconsideration either way.”
Ofcom will now be required to pay GB News’s legal costs.
Angelos Frangopoulos, Chief Executive of GB News, branded the judgment a “landmark decision that vindicates GB News’s position as the fearless defender of free speech in the United Kingdom”.
He added: “Our court victory is hugely significant for the entire British broadcasting industry. We are proud that we were the only media company prepared to have the courage of our convictions.
“Ofcom’s actions are unfair not just to television and radio licensees but to the people who Ofcom is ultimately supposed to serve our nation’s viewers and listeners.
“I call on the Government and Parliament to consider the seriousness of this fundamental failure by Ofcom.”
It marks the first time Ofcom has lost a legal challenge against one of its decisions relating to broadcasting standards.
The regulator will now look at widening rules to ban politicians from presenting current affairs shows. It may also launch a fresh investigation into the programmes, though it is understood no decision on whether to do so has yet been made.
A spokesman for Ofcom said: “We accept the court’s guidance on this important aspect of due impartiality in broadcast news and the clarity set out in its judgment.
“We will now review and consult on proposed changes to the broadcasting code to restrict politicians from presenting news in any type of programme to ensure this is clear for all broadcasters.”
The rulings related to two episodes of Jacob Rees-Mogg’s State of the Nation. In one, Sir Jacob interrupted the programme to cover the breaking verdict in a civil trial against Donald Trump. In the other, he interviewed a GB News reporter about a stabbing in Nottingham.
Ofcom ruled that these programmes, alongside two others presented by Esther McVey and Philip Davies, breached rules banning politicians from being used as news presenters.
However, lawyers for GB News argued that the regulator had wrongly interpreted its own rules in relation to Sir Jacob’s shows.
Worth reading in full.
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I gave up on GB news long ago. Steyn, Robinson, others long gone. I used to record Neil Oliver, I guess he is gone too.
Why didn’t GB news go to the high court over Steyn or Robinson? ‘Thou shall never criticise the Stabs, nor Muslims’ The first 2 commandments.
I assume that was a rhetorical question. Maybe their legal advice suggested it was risky. This case shows GBN will stand up for itself.
Maybe, though they are hardly “fearless defenders of free speech” if they back down from fear that they might lose. I guess they are better than nothing though.
They have never had Katie Hopkins on, or Tommy for fear of being accused of being racist. And why is Neil Oliver consigned to Youtube, too hot to handle just like Steyn was. At least they have Leo Kearse and Lewis Schaffer on Headliners. The latter of the two often talking about the native Britons, Angles, Saxons etc, never heard anyone ese say things like that on a regular basis.
Too true
I wonder why you would want to employ a politician on the radio. They aren’t particularly interesting or engaging characters, They’re not going to entertain you with stories of daring adventures during their youth. They tend take top place when people are polled about which professions they distrust the most.
For ‘Ofcom will now be required to pay…’ I guess it means ‘Taxpayers will now be required to pay’
Terrific and well deserved judgement in favour of the hugely courageous GB News.
A spokesman for Ofcom said: “We accept the court’s guidance on this important aspect
How dare he.
OFCOM has no choice and it is not guidance but a ruling at law. These lefties really think it is optional whether to comply or not.
OFCOM do not have to go away to decide how to keep politicians off the air. they have to go away and consider where the most eggregious bias is to be found and it is in left wing MSM.
Just go away (Ofcom) and don’t come back.
An over reaching creation of Tony the Liar that was intended to manage the broadcasting spectrum not the content.
Shame GB News could not stand up for Mark Steyn when it mattered. They will always be tainted by this failing.
Still makes them better than the lying propaganda peddling MSM BBC, ITV, SKY..
Brava!
Ofcom, Ofgem and Ofwat betrayed the public long ago, by morphing from consumer representation to an organ of gov.uk, paying generous salaries to correct graduates of correct courses at the correct universities. As per usual, all funded by taxpayers.
Fortified by this verdict, GBNews please refer back over 40 years to a vintage skewering of the latest “here-today, gone-tomorrow politician…”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sx1gWQacnEM
“…Sir John Nott walks out of interview with Sir Robin Day in 1982.”
They are all just grubby grifter opportunists. If you can’t bring yourself to see it then they will lead you a merry dance straight to hell.
Get rid of Ofcom.
“Rules banning politicians from being used as news presenters.”
Why on earth does anyone think it’s necessary to do this? Do they think people are stupid?
Exactly. I think them having more exposure allows us to see what they are really like.
Maybe the logic is something along the lines of “news presenters always tell the truth (lol) so people believe the news (lol) so if politicians presented the news they would use the platform to lie”.
I think it comes down to two conflicting approaches to discovering truth, coming to a better understanding of what is going on in the world. The current approach in what are now illiberal “democracies” is to have some groups of wise men and women whose job it is to decide what the truth is and give them the power to regulate information flow. The other approach, which is sort of what happens in the US, is to let all information flow and allow people to make up their own minds. Of course the first approach is SOLD as increasing information quality but it’s really just an excuse for propaganda and censorship of whatever views the in-power group doesn’t like.
And where were they when Balls interviewed Pixie Balls Cooper?
Who let’s the world into talks of international importance? First time ever Answer:
Donald J Trump !
Talking of Trump…OMG this was awesome. So awesome it’s going viral. Zelensky being taken down a peg or six and sent away with a flea in his ear by Trump and Vance. There’s longer clips but this is the best 2mins;
”This is one of the most epic takedowns I’ve ever witnessed.
JD Vance is incredible—thank god Trump finally has the perfect team by his side this time.”
https://x.com/TheNorfolkLion/status/1895547433649914320
Trump’s statement afterwards;
https://x.com/PeteHegseth/status/1895541069921866167
In a sense it shouldn’t be that surprising because the structure itself is defunct and crumbling. Trump is just like a shameless person in a crowd who agrees to go along with the madness. He cannot be grasped by rationality because obviously on that level he is an imbecile with no desire to look at detail or nuance. The point is that in times of tumult you do get these idiot savants showing up who don’t make much sense but know how to manage the times. Regardless of his naivete he went through a lot of crap over the last few years and was the number one target of the state. This experience alone sharpens the mind a bit I’m sure. He doesn’t like phoning the parents of dead soldiers to tell them that their child has died.
He said it himself. Just look at how much happier and optimistic the world is since he took power. The Schumann resonance has increased a lot in the last few weeks and has been increasing for a few years. This is the vibrational background frequency of the earth. It affects your body and your mind. If you have been feeling a bit on edge the last few weeks then it is just down to this. You need to find the still point of the turning wheel. The realm of pure bliss.
The world is a lot happier without the British yoke or any trace of it. They don’t want it. So please leave it to the big orange man. He can’t be any worse than you.
I stoped listening after they betrayed Mark Steyn .
What a fantastic show that was.
No Of…organisation does anything beneficial for us, the people, whether it be controlling energy costs, freedom of speech or water supply. They are a disgrace.
And finding a judge ruling in our favour on freedom of speech is rarer than hen’s teeth.
And a price “cap” that keeps rising, like a boat on rising water.
Get rid of Ofcom, ministry of speech.
Corrupt and not fit for purpose, or at least the purpose it should serve. As a ministry of speech it serves the government well.
They had their chance, not it is a taboo subject with them, bit like Mr Steyn himself.
This isn’t the judge being fair, I don’t think. The left are the real judiciary with the judges allowing them to tweak their strings. David Lammy had his own show, I understand, until relatively recently. The judge had to rule in favour of JRM, I reckon, as the spotlight would have switched to the revolting Lammy, if she hadn’t
How dare Ofcom dictate who can broadcast what to us? Providing they are decent people and not terrorists like the BBC Gaza stuff.
The arrogance of these biased, corrupt Quangos is repulsive.
Shut them down now and put in some proper people with honesty and integrity who love this country.
A WEF outfit, tells you all you need to know.
Too bad GB News didn’t defend Mark Steyn.