Ofcom has launched an investigation into Sky News following a complaint from Reform UK leader Nigel Farage over claims that the broadcaster harassed his family. The regulator's investigation follows an official complaint from Reform UK after Farage accused Sky News reporters of infringing his family's privacy by attending a property where his adult daughter was living.
Farage's complaint
Farage said the incident happened while he was out of the country and claimed reporters had approached his daughter's home. In a Facebook post on Friday, the Clacton MP said he was "appalled at the way various members of my family have been treated" and confirmed that Ofcom was now investigating his complaint.
Reform UK has called on Sky News to apologise on air and undertake not to contact Farage's family at their homes. Ofcom has not publicly confirmed the investigation, saying it treats complaints in strict confidence and does not publicly identify individuals involved in complaints.
Regulator's process
The regulator is understood to be examining the complaint under its rules concerning fairness and privacy. Ofcom says it aims to conclude fairness and privacy complaints within 90 working days.
Sky News has denied approaching Farage's daughter and maintains that its journalists were attempting to contact Farage himself over questions about a £5m gift he received from cryptocurrency investor Christopher Harborne before entering Parliament in July 2024. When Farage returned to the UK, he was approached by Sky News and challenged over the undeclared gift.
Sky News response
"You tell your bosses, you harass my family any more, there will be serious consequences," Farage told the broadcaster. He then accused Sky News of breaking "all the rules" before ending the exchange. Sky News subsequently rejected his characterisation of the incident.
The broadcaster said it was not at the property at 7.41am, as had been alleged, and said footage showed its journalists outside a property where Farage had been registered to vote at the previous election. Sky News said it did not interact with Farage's daughter.
The broadcaster said that on one occasion a journalist approached the property without a camera operator, identified themselves as being from Sky News and sought to contact Farage. The adult occupant chose not to engage. Sky News said it was attempting to ask Farage questions about the £5m gift and described the approach as "a well-established and routine journalistic practice" when reporting on matters of legitimate public interest.
It also rejected claims that its journalists had "hounded" or pursued Farage's daughter, saying it had not sought to speak to anyone other than Farage in connection with its reporting.
Background and next steps
The dispute comes as scrutiny continues over the £5m gift Farage received from Harborne. A parliamentary standards investigation into whether the gift breached parliamentary rules resumed earlier this month after Farage was re-elected as MP for Clacton following a by-election he triggered.
The Ofcom investigation will now consider the complaint and the competing claims surrounding Sky News' reporting. Sky News has been contacted for comment.
