Britain’s broadcast regulator is under increasing pressure to investigate a GB News interview with Donald Trump after critics claimed the broadcaster failed to challenge a series of misleading and inaccurate claims made by the US president.
In the interview, which aired in November and was billed as a “world exclusive session” by GB News, Trump repeated long-contested claims that man-made climate change is “a hoax” and claimed that there were “no-go areas” for police in London that were governed by “Sharia law.”
Activists and media experts argue that these claims either went unchallenged or were actively reinforced by interviewer Bev Turner, raising questions about compliance with UK broadcasting regulations on accuracy and reasonable impartiality.
The controversy has led to several formal complaints to Ofcom, including three detailed submissions co-signed by tens of thousands of viewers. Ofcom officials are understood to be investigating the complaints, but the regulator is yet to confirm whether a formal investigation will be launched.
One of those calling for action is Chris Banatvala, founding director of standards at Ofcom, who described the broadcast as unprecedented for a domestic broadcaster licensed in the UK.
“I’ve never seen anything like this on a British broadcaster,” he said. “While these types of interviews may be common in partisan media in the US, they represent a serious test of the UK’s impartiality framework.”
Banatvala warned that failure to investigate would mean a departure from established broadcasting standards. “If Ofcom chooses not to act, it risks sending the message that impartiality rules no longer apply.”
One complaint was filed by Bob Ward of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment and focused on Trump’s comments on climate change. During the interview, Trump claimed that climate change was made up and that wind power was “the most expensive energy you can get” – claims that are contradicted by extensive scientific and economic research.
Ward said the interview was “one of the most blatant examples of a British media organization allowing misinformation to spread without challenge.”
Other complaints focus on Trump’s claims about crime and policing in London, including claims that police are avoiding entire areas of the capital. These statements were not disputed during the broadcast. At one point, Turner responded by saying, “It’s true… it feels a lot safer (in the US).”
Campaign group 38 Degrees also filed a complaint alleging a lack of impartiality, pointing out that the moderator repeatedly praised Trump and called one of his speeches “one of the greatest moments at the United Nations.”
GB News has increasingly positioned itself as a platform for figures associated with the Trump administration. The network has been publicly praised by Trump’s press secretary Karoline Leavitt and has featured several conservative voices from the US in recent months.
Critics argue that this raises further questions about editorial balance, particularly given the UK broadcasters’ legal obligation to avoid materially misleading audiences.
GB News declined to comment on the complaints.
An Ofcom spokesman said: “We are considering the complaints against our rules but have not yet decided whether to investigate.”
As scrutiny mounts, the case is shaping up to be a key test of the regulator’s willingness to enforce long-standing standards of impartiality and accuracy in an increasingly polarized media landscape.
