Ofcom has thrown out two complaints from former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn over televised remarks he claimed were "baseless and disgraceful antisemitism smears" against him.
The first complaint related to an edition of the Cathy Newman Show broadcast on Sky News on April 29 in which there was a discussion about the stabbing of two Jewish men in Golders Green, north London, earlier that day and whether the government was doing enough to protect the Jewish community.
During the debate the presenter asked one of the contributors a question which included the comment “the rot really started under the previous Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, didn't it, in this country?”
The second complaint related to the April 30 edition of Good Morning Britain broadcast by ITV.
During the “News Panel” segment there was another discussion about the Golders Green attack in which MP Nadine Dorries commented “there’s this door to antisemitism in the UK opened by a former leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn”.
In both cases Corbyn claimed he had been subjected to unfair and unjust treatment by the broadcasters.
But Ofcom ruled that the programmes “were unlikely to have materially or adversely affected viewers’ existing perceptions of him in a way that was unfair.”
Following the Ofcom ruling a spokesperson for Corbyn told the JC: “We stand by our original complaint against these patently false, ludicrous and historically illiterate allegations.”
The Cathy Newman Show featured guests Jon Craig, a political correspondent; Gillian Keegan, a former Conservative Party Cabinet Minister; and Baroness Thangam Debbonaire, a Labour Party member of the House of Lords.
Newman asked: “You don’t think enough is being done by the government?”
Keegan commented: “No, you have to really show action very quickly, the words have been going on now for years. And we did, you know, we tried to ban hate marches.
"I remember I was rowing with some of those same people there [i.e. those who attended the COBRA meeting], saying ‘you need to do more. The police have powers, make sure you use them.’
"So, I do think that the action has to be really visible to that community that has felt so vulnerable now for so long and in this country, which is so, so upsetting to everybody.”
Newman responded: “You know, the rot really started under the previous Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, didn't it, in this country? This isn’t, you know, it's a home-grown problem.”
In its defence Sky News said that the discussion was “wide-ranging and addressed the current state of antisemitism in the United Kingdom, the adequacy of political and governmental responses, the experiences of Jewish communities, and the historical context in which those issues have arisen.”
Corbyn also complained that he had not been given an opportunity to respond.
The Ofcom report said about Sky News: “In the circumstances, it did not consider it necessary or practical to contact the complainant or his office prior to broadcast. It said that live current affairs programmes. It also ‘did not consider that there was any obligation to seek or provide a post broadcast right of reply’.
Explaining its decision not uphold the complaint against Sky News, Ofcom conceded that had the words “the rot really started under the previous Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, didn’t it, in this country?” been taken in isolation, “it is possible that viewers may have gained an impression that antisemitism within the Labour Party worsened significantly under Corbyn’s leadership”.
However, in determining whether or not there is unfairness in the programme, Ofcom must take into account all relevant context.
Its ruling was: “Ofcom’s preliminary view is to not uphold this complaint of unjust or unfair treatment in the programme as broadcast.”
Defending Dorries’ comments on GMB, ITV said that the issue of antisemitism during Corbyn’s leadership of the Labour Party had been the subject of extensive public scrutiny and an official investigation.
It referred to an October 2020 report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission which it said concluded that the Labour Party, under the complainant’s leadership, was responsible for three breaches of the Equality Act connected to harassment, political interference in antisemitism complaints and inadequate training for those handling the complaints.
Explaining its decision to again not uphold Corbyn’s complaint against ITV, Ofcom explained: “In considering this case, we took account of the overall background context in which the programme was broadcast.
“We took into account that Corbyn was a well-known political figure who had previously held the positions of leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition and had, during this time, been the subject of media and public attention.
“In particular, the historic allegations of antisemitism within the Labour Party, particularly when Corbyn was its leader, have been the subject of much public scrutiny and debate.”
The official decision on GMB was: “Ofcom has not upheld this complaint of unjust or unfair treatment in the programme as broadcast.”
A spokesperson for Corbyn told the JC: "We stand by our original complaint against these patently false, ludicrous and historically illiterate allegations. These comments – and this decision – show a profound ignorance of the history of antisemitism in this country and undermine the fight against antisemitism today."
Both complaints were made on Corbyn’s behalf by his Media and Communications Officer, Oliver Durose.
Sky News and ITV have been approached for comment.
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