Media regulator Ofcom is assessing multiple complaints against GB News following a controversial segment that analysed defendants with what it described as 'foreign-sounding names' in crown courts across England.
Controversial Court Analysis Sparks Outrage
The segment, presented by Martin Daubney on Monday last week during Nigel Farage's show, featured research compiled by solicitor Marcus Johnstone that counted surnames perceived as 'non-British' across nine crown courts over a six-week period.
Daubney, a former Brexit Party MEP, introduced what he called 'genuinely shocking' findings while acknowledging methodological limitations. 'There's no doubt the methodology is incomplete', he stated, blaming the government for refusing to release nationality data about defendants.
Political Backlash and Racism Accusations
Liberal Democrat MP Anna Sabine, the party's culture, media and sport spokesperson, submitted one of the formal complaints to Ofcom, describing the research methods as 'unverified and frankly racist'.
Sabine criticised the approach of 'turning up to court and counting people with names that don't sound British to you', arguing it was no way to engage with the complex topic of immigration. She warned the segment risked 'inflaming tensions toward vulnerable communities'.
Questionable Statistics and Methodology
The research presented startling figures suggesting high proportions of defendants with foreign-sounding names:
- 56% at Snaresbrook crown court in east London
- 55% in Bradford
- 51% in Birmingham
For sex offence cases specifically, the analysis claimed 41% of defendants in Bradford and 31% in Sheffield had 'non-British' names.
Johnstone himself admitted the name-based analysis 'is not scientific' and acknowledged problems with the methodology, but defended it as 'the best that we can get at the moment' due to lack of official data.
Broadcasting Code Under Scrutiny
The controversy emerges as Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy pressures Ofcom to address 'misleading or false content' more effectively across broadcast media.
Sabine has asked the regulator to examine whether GB News breached the broadcasting code requirement that 'views and facts must not be misrepresented'. She emphasised that research on such sensitive topics should be 'grounded in verifiable data and handled with care'.
GB News, which now regularly leads UK news channel ratings with an average audience of approximately 91,000 viewers last month, defended its approach. A spokesperson stated: 'Unlike some other broadcasters, GB News takes its compliance seriously. We will never let politically motivated complaints by political parties shape our journalism.'
Ofcom confirmed it is 'assessing the complaints against our rules but are yet to decide whether or not to investigate'.
