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Britain’s broadcasting regulator is refusing to investigate GB News over comments about starving and shooting disabled benefit claimants, or another programme in which one of its presenters used the slur “tranny” to describe trans people.
An Ofcom bulletin released this week revealed that the regulator received 96 Ofcom complaints over the broadcast segment on benefit claimants in June.
GB News presenter Patrick Christys told viewers that “welfare needs to be cut” before asking the guest, purported comedian Lewis Schaffer, how he would “get them off their backside”.
Schaffer replied: “Just starve them, that’s what people have to do, that’s what you’ve got to do to people, you can’t just give people money.”
He added: “What else can you do? Shoot them? I mean, I’d suggest that, but I think that’s maybe a bit strong.”
Christys responded: “Yeah, it’s just not allowed these days.”
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Ofcom also revealed that it has decided against investigating a segment where former Loaded editor turned GB News presenter Martin Daubney used the slur “tranny” on 2nd July.
The presenter asked a guest: “I’m assuming the notion of dropping Winnie [Churchill on banknotes] to replace him with a tranny fills you full of repulsion?”
It comes after prominent former BBC and Channel 4 journalist Michael Crick accused Ofcom of letting GB News “get away with murder” during a debate on the channel on 14th August.
Crick called for the heads of Ofcom, Michael Grade and Melanie Dawes to be fired. He told the station: “I think it’s outrageous the way Ofcom – and I’ve said this many times on your channel – lets you get away with murder.”
“We all have to operate under Ofcom, who basically have gone to sleep on the job. They’re incompetent. They’ve no longer got any decent leadership and they have changed the rules for channels like you without any public debate.”
The journalist told the hosts: “You’re a propaganda channel, not a news channel and Ofcom should have done something about this.”
He also complained about the prominence of Reform on GB News.
Commenting on Ofcom’s inaction over the spate of anti-disabled and anti-trans attacks on GB News, Richard Wilson, director of Stop Funding Hate, said: “Ofcom’s repeated failure to do its job is putting disabled people and trans people at risk.
“Hate in our media leads to hate crime on our streets. Yet just when a robust and effective regulator is most needed, Ofcom’s leadership seems to have effectively suspended the rules they are tasked with enforcing.
“In doing so, they have enabled a surge of media hate which is causing grave harm in communities across Britain.”
He added: “Ofcom’s job is to protect the public, not act as an enabler. If it is no longer willing to do that job, then it’s time for Parliament to step in.”
A spokesperson for regulator Ofcom responded to the criticism, telling Byline Times: “All regulated broadcasters must comply with our broadcasting rules. We enforce these rules fairly and proportionately, acting independently and impartially at all times.
“Our Broadcasting Code takes account of the right to freedom of expression and enables broadcasters to take different editorial approaches to their services, including broadcasting from a particular stance or viewpoint, provided that they comply with the relevant rules.”
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They added that the regulator assesses each individual complaint and the programme as broadcast before they decide whether to investigate.
“The volume of complaints we receive does not determine our decision. Where we find a breach of our rules, we publish fully reasoned decisions based on the evidence. At all times, we take into account the fundamental importance of the right to freedom of expression,” the spokesperson said.
On the comments about starving disabled people on Patrick Christys Tonight Late Edition, the Ofcom spokesperson said: “We carefully considered complaints about this late-night programme, and we understand some viewers found Lewis Schaffer’s remarks during a discussion about welfare reforms deeply concerning.
“Our assessment took into account the regular contributor’s established irreverent style.”
They claimed that the presenter’s response to the comments “signalled to the audience that the remarks were satirical and not to be taken seriously.”
“While we acknowledge these remarks were potentially highly offensive, given the particular context we did not consider that an investigation was warranted.”
And on failing to investigate Martin Daubney’s show, where he used the word ‘tranny’, the Ofcom spokesperson said: “We carefully considered complaints about this programme.
“While we understand the clear potential for offence, our assessment found that the brief use of this language was, in our view, employed to provoke debate, and was likely to be in line with audience expectations for this channel and show. We did not consider that an investigation was warranted.”
In February, GB News won a judicial review in the High Court to reverse rulings made by Ofcom against the channel, for two shows hosted by Jacob Rees-Mogg which the regulator said breached the broadcasting code over politicians hosting news discussions (Rees-Mogg was an MP during the broadcasts concerned).
Ofcom is currently reviewing and consulting on proposed changes to the Broadcasting Code to restrict politicians from presenting news in any type of programme in response to the High Court ruling.
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