Campaigners have accused Ofcom of allowing GB News to flout accuracy rules and broadcast climate change denial, with the regulator receiving 1,221 climate-related complaints since 2020 but finding no breaches of its broadcasting code. The pressure group Reliable Media said more than 50 complaints about GB News programmes since March 2024 included false statements about global heating that went unchallenged or lacked balance.
Examples reviewed by the Guardian include GB News host Ben Leo describing global heating as “the climate scam” in April 2025, and a guest on Nigel Farage’s show in September 2024 questioning whether global warming is a problem. In November 2024, host Leo Kearse misleadingly suggested the government would introduce “enforced veganism”. Regular contributor Lewis Schaffer claimed in July 2024 that “climate change is rubbish” and that “climate is the full-on war”. Another guest in June 2024 falsely said UN climate models had not matched reality.
Ofcom’s broadcasting code requires factual programmes not to materially mislead and news to be reported with due accuracy and impartiality. Guidance notes state that the scientific principles of anthropogenic global warming are “broadly settled”. Reliable Media director Richard Wilson said Ofcom was “allowing some TV and radio stations to flout the rules” on an issue where “the stakes could not be higher”.
In contrast, French regulator Arcom has found four breaches in two years, fining right-wing channel CNews €20,000 for a segment claiming climate change is “a lie, a scam”. Ofcom said it enforces rules “fairly and proportionately, acting independently and impartially at all times”. GB News dismissed the campaigners as politically motivated, saying they wanted to shut down public debate.
