Shadow Minister Questions If GB News Co-Owner ‘Fit’ To Hold Broadcasting Licence, Cites ‘Extreme Views’

Shadow Minister Kevin Brennan requested a debate over GB News’ “breaches of the broadcasting code” and questioned whether the network’s owner Sir Paul Marshall’s “right-wing and extreme views” made him unfit to hold a broadcasting licence.

Brennan made the statement, specifically mentioning Marshall, in Commons on Thursday:

“Speaker, can we have a debate about Ofcom’s approach towards GB News and the alleged breaches, and found breaches in fact, of the broadcasting code and its ownership. Isn’t it time that we had a proper wide-ranging inquiry from Ofcom into whether or not Sir Paul Marshall, who has endorsed very right-wing and extreme views, does fit, is a fit and proper person to hold a broadcasting licence, and whether the editorial policy is actually in breach of the rules set down by this House?”

Following the request, Conservative Leader of the House Penny Mordaunt told Brennan to initiate his request for a debate through the formal channels if he so desired and highlighted the role of media regulator Ofcom.

Mordaunt said: “The work that Ofcom does is incredibly important. They have raised a number of concerns with that channel, but with broadcasters and presenters that are in it. They have not raised matters of concern with regard to the channel itself but if the honourable gentleman wishes to explore these matters further he knows what he can do.”

In February, activists at anti-racist advocacy group Hope Not Hate published an investigation that highlighted Marshall’s social media activity. The group reported that after making his X account private in recent months, Marshall stripped personal information from the bio and changed the handle to @areopagus123, a nod to the 2021 company he set up called Areopagus Ventures. Marshall reportedly then liked posts calling for mass deportations and predicting a civil war between “native Europeans” and “fake refugee invaders.

In his defence, representatives for Marshall said that he “posts on a wide variety of subjects” and that the “sample [highlighted by Hope Not Hate] does not represent his views.”

Separately, at the beginning of March, Ofcom requested a meeting with GB News executives after detailing wider concerns that network had “inadequate” editorial control of its live output.

The move came as part of the regulator’s published decision that the GB News had broken broadcasting rules with guest Laurence Fox’s “clearly misogynistic” remarks about journalist Ava Evans on Dan Wootton Tonight in September, following its lengthy investigation.

The network, which employs multiple sitting right-wing MPs as hosts, currently faces approximately twelve other investigations being conducted by Ofcom, primarily concerning impartiality regulations.