GB News Host Nigel Farage Blasts ‘Totalitarian’ Ban Of Network By Welsh Parliament
GB News presenter Nigel Farage criticised the Welsh Parliament’s decision to ban the network from its internal television system as a “totalitarian” move, after politicians decided the channel was “demeaning to public debate.”
Farage directed his ire not only at the Senedd but also specifically at Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford’s government, stating: “This shows just how awful the Welsh Labour administration is. They are totalitarian in their thinking and behaviour.”
Referring to English Labour leader Keir Starmer, Farage further posed a question: “Is this what lies in store for the whole of the UK under Starmer?”
A spokesperson for the Senedd’s presiding officer, Elin Jones, responded, explaining that GB News was removed due to a broadcast that was deemed “deliberately offensive, demeaning to public debate and contrary to our parliament’s values.” The channel is currently under several Ofcom investigations.
The decision will be further discussed by the Senedd’s cross-party commission at an upcoming meeting. However, the channel remains accessible online.
The move adds to the channel’s current difficulties. Laurence Fox, an actor-turned-activist and former GB News presenter, was fired earlier this month for misogynistic comments made on-air towards a female journalist. GB News host Dan Wootton remains on suspension over the incident, which fanned the flames of debate around the channel’s conduct.
Protest, however, from political quarters has also been voiced in response to the ban. Conservative MP and Welsh Secretary David TC Davies emphasised the importance of media plurality for a functioning democracy. He referred to the government’s decision as “appalling.”
Meanwhile Welsh Conservative politician Andrew RT Davies responded critically, saying, “This is a disgrace. It’s censorship. People should be free to choose if they want to watch GB News.”
