Andrew Neil roasts GB News in just three words in rant about the channel (2024)

Andrew Neil has once again ripped into GB News (Image: House of Lords)

Veteran journalist Andrew Neil says he “tries to forget” about his time at GB News in a cutting dig at the station.

Broadcaster Neil, who is now the Chairman of the Spectator, roasted the channel in an interview with the Radio 4 Today programme in a discussion about Ofcom’s latest findings on the fledgling channel.

It was revealed that Ofcom is considering a statutory sanction against GB News after it was found to have broken due impartiality rules as a Q and A session involving the PM - called The People’s Forum - didn’t have Labour representation.

When asked about his thoughts on it as a “founding chairman” and former presenter of the channel he gave a quick but brutal reply saying: “Briefly!”

He added: “Eight nights. We try to forget about it.”

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Andrew Neil is now chairman at The Spectator (Image: Getty)

GB News said that it found Ofcom's finding against GB News “an alarming development” and that it was attempting to “silence us”.

And Neil agreed that he was “puzzled” by the finding - saying that there are other matters that Ofcom could be focused on in terms of GB News.

He said: “I’m very puzzled by it.

"I really am that they have chosen this to go to war on. I mean it’s a little bit like charging Al Capone with tax evasion rather than his real crimes.”

He added: “When I look at some of the offences that GB News has committed without Ofcom so much as slapping it on the wrist to go for this which was a decent enough programme - not a great programme - but kind of par for the course I just don’t understand their thinking at all.”

Neil gave examples of Tory MPs presenting shows and Tory MPs interviewing cabinet ministers - and although it was pointed out GB News has been found falling short due to this, Neil thinks they should have been fined.

He also claimed that the channel was spreading “crackpot conspiracy theories” such as on COVID-19 vaccinations.

Ofcom received a total of 547 complaints about The People's Forum show.

In its ruling it said: "We recognised that this programme would focus mainly on the Conservative Party's policies and track record on a number of specific issues, meaning that Conservative viewpoints would be prevalent.

"We are clear that this, in and of itself, did not mean the programme could not comply with due impartiality rules under the code.

"It was incumbent on GB News, however, given the major matters under discussion, to ensure that an appropriately wide range of significant views was given due weight in the programme or in other clearly linked and timely programmes."

The regulator noted the Labour Party's positions and views were not included and that there was no reference to any future programme where they would be.

Ofcom concluded: "We found that an appropriately wide range of significant viewpoints was not presented and given due weight in this case.”

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