Michael Grade, the recently departed chair of Britain's media watchdog Ofcom, has accused critics of GB News of being part of a "liberal, Islington consensus" bent on limiting freedom of expression, and defended the rightwing broadcaster's coverage of issues such as immigration and Brexit.
Lead
In an interview with the Guardian, Lord Grade — who stepped down as Ofcom chair and has since retaken the Conservative whip in the House of Lords — said he welcomed the arrival of GB News five years ago in the name of "plurality." He argued that the channel provides a voice to a "strong body of opinion in this country which has been ignored for years," and that its critics are "embarrassed" by its success in covering what he called the "agenda of the majority."
"They just don't like the idea that there's any voice or any agenda, news agenda, which is different from the kind of liberal, Islington consensus," Grade told the Guardian.
Coverage Comparison
The comments, reported by The Guardian across multiple articles, mark a striking departure for a former regulator not generally known for courting controversy. Grade told Politics Home that he could now speak freely, saying, "I can now speak [freely], as I'm not at Ofcom." He claimed that the BBC has failed to give weight to issues like immigration and Brexit, which GB News addresses, and said that critics are "embarrassed by the fact that there is a news organisation that has a different news agenda to them."
The Guardian's coverage also highlights reactions from former Ofcom figures, including Chris Banatvala, Ofcom's founding director of standards, and Stewart Purvis, a former chief executive of ITN and a former Ofcom content and standards partner. Both have disputed Grade's understanding of the broadcasting rules and criticized Ofcom's approach under his leadership.
Key Claims
- Grade's defense of GB News: Grade defended Ofcom's regulation of GB News, saying "the same rules apply to GB News as apply to the BBC, Sky, ITN, whoever." He claimed that GB News has "actually got better and better" and that compliance is not difficult — "sometimes it's only a sentence in a script."
- Criticism from former Ofcom figures: Banatvala disputed Grade's interpretation, saying "due impartiality cannot be achieved with little more than a sentence in a script." Purvis said Grade's approach has created a culture where Ofcom has not been interventionist enough, describing Grade's comments as "classic out-of-the-horse's-mouth stuff."
- Ofcom's investigation into GB News: The watchdog is currently investigating a GB News show that repeated an interview with Donald Trump, after receiving complaints that the US president's claims about climate change, Islam, and immigration had gone unchallenged.
- Ofcom's distancing from Grade: Ofcom has said that "any personal views a former chairman has expressed do not represent Ofcom policy."
Perspectives
Michael Grade's perspective: Grade argues that GB News provides a necessary alternative to the BBC, which he says has long been out of sync with public opinion on issues like immigration and Brexit. He sees the criticism as an attempt to stifle plurality and limit free speech to a narrow liberal consensus.
Critics' perspective: Former Ofcom figures and other critics argue that Grade has misunderstood the principle of due impartiality, which requires more than a token statement in a script. They contend that Ofcom under Grade's leadership has been insufficiently interventionist, allowing GB News to push partisan coverage without adequate challenge.
Ofcom's official stance: The regulator has distanced itself from Grade's personal comments, emphasizing that its policy is set by the board and not by former chairs.
The debate comes as Ofcom continues to investigate GB News over the Trump interview, with critics questioning whether the regulator's approach has been too lenient in holding the channel to broadcasting standards.