Jeremy Vine has stepped down as host of the Carers UK Awards after facing backlash for allegedly stoking hatred against disabled people on his Channel 5 show. The TV presenter, 61, was announced as the host of the event, which aims to spotlight the contribution of unpaid carers, but quickly faced criticism.
Commenters accused Vine of using provocative questions to allow guest panellists to spread misinformation and platform lies about those on benefits. The criticism was so strong that Vine issued a statement confirming he would step down.
Vine's statement and reaction
On X, Vine wrote: 'Because I host debates about welfare, benefits etc I see I was a controversial choice to be the (obviously unpaid) host of the prestigious @CarersUK awards so I'm very happy to stand aside and give someone else the honour of doing it.' He added that he originally said yes to support a friend who watched her husband die in a long and painful process, as he didn't want to let her down.
Vine said: 'I see her as a heroine. I'm not a campaigner, and guests on my shows know I have to be impartial, but I'm very much aware of the vital role unpaid carers play. I believe we've only ever covered them sympathetically.' He wished the event well, saying he would cheer for the winners from a distance.
However, the statement fueled further disapproval. @cfs_jo wrote: 'I'm sure he really believes he's impartial. Why can't he see that having the "should we cut benefits" discussions over and over again just feeds into the negative narrative? He's not stupid, he must know.' @kagsy_karen said: 'He may support carers and his friend, but he allows members of the panel on his TV show to spout absolute lies, completely unchecked about other benefits & their claimants.'
Carers UK responds
Carers UK issued its own response, confirming Vine was stepping down following discussions. The organisation said: 'Jeremy has been incredibly supportive of Carers UK including through his radio show, and we're grateful for that support. But after listening carefully to our community over the past couple of days we've agreed with Jeremy that the focus of the evening should stay entirely on celebrating carers and the individuals and organisations that support them.'
In additional posts, Carers UK added: 'We recognise the strength of feeling around how disability & benefits claimants are sometimes portrayed in the media, inc on daytime television. Many of the carers we support are disabled themselves/care for someone who is and rely on a benefits system that too often fails them. That's exactly why we've campaigned consistently for reform of the benefits system, including through our #ProtectCarersBenefits campaign.'
Previous controversy over benefits debates
Vine is known for chairing hard-hitting debates on his talk show. On August 16, the programme ran a segment titled: 'Reform right to call for cuts to disability benefits?' The day after, a Facebook post from the show shared: 'Also on the show, we're asking if we should cut disability benefits and give people help in kind instead. Half of disability benefit claimants would swap a thousand pounds of their benefits for things such as therapy, healthy meals and workplace support. Would it be a good idea to make cuts here…'
In March last year, Vine was criticised for saying benefits should be 'slashed' when debating spending on social security and for failing to challenge false claims. He said: 'You've going to have to cut the benefits first and then expect them to get out the front door and work,' going on to claim: 'There's something fishy going on… we've had a massive increase since Covid, 25% increase, in people who are too ill to work.' In November, during a debate on whether Britain should 'spend billions more on benefits', he asked: 'Why don't you cut welfare?' In May this year, he did not dispute a guest's comments that the 'benefits bill is out of control' and 'spiralling'.
Last month, Disability News Service challenged BBC News, Sky News, and Channel 5 over why presenters were not pushing back on inaccurate claims of 'spiralling welfare', which is actually stable. DNS said the broadcasters did not accept their suggestions, but Sky issued a statement reiterating its commitment to 'impartial, rigorous journalism', while BBC said it covers 'a wide range of perspectives on welfare'.
