Complaint
In an interview with the Conservative MP Lee Anderson, Geeta Guru-Murphy asked him his views on whether Conservative voters would continue to support Boris Johnson as party leader despite public criticisms of his conduct. A viewer complained that in doing so, the presenter had incorrectly stated Mr Johnson had lied to the Queen. 聽The ECU considered the complaint against the standards on accuracy set out in the 大象传媒 Editorial Guidelines.
Outcome
The interviewer asked Mr Anderson 鈥淵ou think it鈥檚 as simple as that? People don鈥檛 look at the prime minister鈥檚 character and think he鈥檚 a man who鈥檚 lied to the Queen, lied to the House of Commons, lied to the public, and they don鈥檛 trust him anymore?鈥聽 In the context of the discussion, and taking into account the way the reference to lying to the Queen was couched, the ECU did not understand her to be making a statement, but to be referring to concerns which she attributed to the electorate at large 鈥 specifically, in the instance complained of, 聽about Mr Johnson鈥檚 advice to Her Majesty on the prorogation of Parliament, which the Supreme Court found to be illegal. 聽Although an element of overtalking made the interviewer鈥檚 wording less clearly audible than it might have been, the ECU considered it to amount a legitimate question about whether, in Mr Anderson鈥檚 opinion, Conservative supporters would set aside any doubts on these matters.
Not Upheld