Farage to use loophole to show ‘propaganda’ on Reform TV – and it can’t be stopped

A broadcasting loophole will allow Nigel Farage to dodge watchdog scrutiny and transmit unfiltered “propaganda” to voters at the next election, experts have warned. Reform UK plans to use some of its £72m donation windfall from two cryptocurrency billionaires to beef up its media operation. This includes investing significantly in the party’s media facilities at its Millbank headquarters and producing sufficient material for a new online Reform UK TV channel. Shorts It would build on Reform’s existing YouTube channel, which has 148,000 subscribers. The channel is likely to feature “news” – such as on-the-spot reporting at migrant boat landings and the sites of other “hot button” issues. It could also include live streams of party events, interviews and podcasts with leading figures and supporters. The YouTube TV channel loophole But a YouTube online-only channel is not subject to the regulator Ofcom’s impartiality rules that require coverage on divisive issues such as immigration to have an even spread of views. Licensed UK broadcasters – such as BBC, Sky News and GB News – must follow these rules or face being fined. Chris Banatvala, Ofcom’s founding director of standards who is now a media consultant, said: “Unlike broadcast TV, YouTube channels don’t have to comply with regulations covering matters such as impartiality, misleading the audience, fairness or privacy. “They have huge flexibility and the liberty to transmit stuff that just wouldn’t be allowed on a TV channel.” He added that “standing outside [of] the editorial standards regulation” was a “real attraction” for organisations launching online-only TV channels. Ofcom declined to comment on a Reform UK TV channel. But the watchdog pointed to rules which limit its oversight of YouTube channels “to protecting children from unsuitable content and preventing serious harms such as content that incites hatred”. ‘Political propaganda dressed up as news’ However, Banatvala added that while political parties already have their own social media feeds, a “service such as Reform TV on YouTube, viewed on your TV, can look and feel exactly like a television channel”. He said there was a growing “convergence” between online and traditional TV, with a growing number of people going straight to the YouTube app when they turn on their living room sets. Barb and Ipsos figures suggest that over half of all UK YouTube viewing now takes place on TV sets rather than mobile phones and laptops. “Such a service could simply broadcast political propaganda dressed up as news without being subject to the same rules as a regulated broadcaster,” Banatvala said. A “Reform TV” channel would also allow Farage and other Reform candidates to sidestep Ofcom rules requiring them to step away from presenting shows on GB News when a general election is called. Reform MP Lee Anderson and former candidate Matt Goodwin, expected to feature on a Reform channel, are also GB News presenters. “In an election period, politicians could continue to broadcast on Reform TV through YouTube, just like they use their own X accounts,” Banatvala said. Meanwhile, Reform TV could also give Farage a fallback option if the Labour Government backs a ban on serving politicians being allowed to present on news channels. Former ITN chief executive Stewart Purvis said Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy “has said she wants tighter rules around politicians presenting rules and that she intends to act”. Warning over GB News fallout The channel could also cause problems for GB News, where Farage presents a nightly show which is one of its biggest ratings winners. However, one GB News insider said the channels can “co-exist”. “Nigel is a shareholder in GB News (500,000 shares, 3-4 per cent). It has two million YouTube followers and is beating BBC News and Sky News in the ratings,” the source said. “It’s going to be a significant player at the next election. He wouldn’t want to give that up. The channels can co-exist.” GB News is also a good earner for Farage, who registered £427,394 in payments from the channel last year. Political commentator Michael Crick wrote in The i Paper that Farage believes he can appear on both platforms. But he said Reform, with its multimillion-pound influx of funds, could poach key production staff from GB News, which axed 90 roles this summer. However, Crick warned, “it would be unwise for ‘Farage TV’ to operate as a slavish, Nigel-adoring party propaganda channel. Even the most hardened Reform fanatics might find that dull.” Another issue is funding. GB News has racked up £131m worth of losses over five years, a sum even Reform’s crypto billionaires might baulk at. The party is advertising for video editors, but has yet to embark on the kind of hiring spree a new TV channel would require. Right-wing TV ecosystem The development also points to digital media being the battleground for the next election, in an era when the influence of traditional broadcast and print media is in decline. Farage is battling forces further to the right, with the rise of Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain. This has been credited to the vocal support he has received from Elon Musk and his amplification of Lowe’s messages. Purvis said a Reform TV channel would be an addition to a “right-wing ecosystem backed by people with money supporting these propositions”. As well as GB News, that includes Dan Wootton’s Outspoken channel (756,000 YouTube subscribers) and former Mumford & Sons member Winston Marshall’s “free speech” YouTube channel (500,000 subscribers). One GB News contributor said: “Nigel believes the mainstream media is against him. Look at the Channel 4 donations sting… Nigel having his own TV channel is just evening up the playing field.” But Purvis added: “The question is where does this leave broadcasting, do we want regulated TV channels to go down this route?” Regulated TV channels that post content on YouTube still have to follow impartiality rules. Banatvala added the Reform TV development “raises the question of just what is a TV channel today? An Ofcom licence is now – in general – only required if you appear on a regulated electronic programme guide like Sky TV or Freeview.” Banatvala suggested that a YouTube Reform channel should be clearly labelled “unregulated”, so viewers do not expect it to meet the same standards of impartiality imposed on an Ofcom-licenced news provider. Reform UK and GB News was approached for comment.