Russian broadcaster RT’s UK licence revoked by Ofcom

Ofcom has revoked Kremlin-backed broadcaster RT’s UK licence with immediate effect.

The TV watchdog said RT’s licensee, ANO TV Novosti, is “not fit and proper” to hold a licence amid 29 ongoing investigations into the “due impartiality” of its programmes.

A statement released by the regulator on Friday said: “We consider the volume and potentially serious nature of the issues raised within such a short period to be of great concern – especially given RT’s compliance history, which has seen the channel fined £200,000 for previous due impartiality breaches.

“In this context, we launched a separate investigation to determine whether ANO TV Novosti is fit and proper to retain its licence to broadcast.”

Ofcom said the decision to suspend the licence came amid ongoing investigations into RT’s news and current affairs coverage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson also having previously called for an Ofcom review.

RT is currently off air in the UK due to sanctions imposed.

Ofcom said it noted new laws in Russia which “effectively criminalise any independent journalism that departs from the Russian state’s own news narrative”, particularly in relation to the invasion of Ukraine.

It added: “We consider that, given these constraints, it appears impossible for RT to comply with the due impartiality rules of our broadcasting code in the circumstances.

“We have concluded that we cannot be satisfied that RT can be a responsible broadcaster in the current circumstances.

“Ofcom is therefore revoking RT’s licence to broadcast with immediate effect.”

The media watchdog went on: “We take seriously the importance, in our democratic society, of a broadcaster’s right to freedom of expression and the audience’s right to receive information and ideas without undue interference.

“We also take seriously the importance of maintaining audiences’ trust and public confidence in the UK’s broadcasting regulatory regime.”

Ofcom chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes said: “Freedom of expression is something we guard fiercely in this country, and the bar for action on broadcasters is rightly set very high.

“Following an independent regulatory process, we have today found that RT is not fit and proper to hold a licence in the UK.

“As a result we have revoked RT’s UK broadcasting licence.”

RT’s deputy editor-in-chief, Anna Belkina, said Ofcom’s decision to suspend the broadcaster’s UK licence has “robbed” the British public of access to information.

Ofcom has falsely judged RT to not be 'fit and proper' and in doing so robbed the UK public of access to information

Anna Belkina, RT

In a statement, she said: “Ofcom has shown the UK public, and the regulatory community internationally, that, despite a well-constructed facade of independence, it is nothing more than a tool of government, bending to its media-suppressing will.

“By ignoring RT’s completely clean record of four consecutive years and stating purely political reasons tied directly to the situation in Ukraine and yet completely unassociated to RT’s operations, structure, management or editorial output, Ofcom has falsely judged RT to not be ‘fit and proper’ and in doing so robbed the UK public of access to information.”

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries welcomed Ofcom’s decision, saying RT’s “lies and propaganda” have “absolutely no place on our screens”.

The Cabinet minister previously told MPs she hoped the TV watchdog’s investigations into “due impartiality” at the Kremlin-backed broadcaster would result in the removal of its licence.

In a statement on Twitter, she said: “I welcome @Ofcom’s decision and it’s right that our independent regulator has taken action against RT.

“The outlet’s lies and propaganda, where victims are cast as the aggressors and the brutality of Russia’s actions are concealed, have absolutely no place on our screens.”

Former Scottish first minister Alex Salmond, who presented his own show on RT, said he took the decision to suspend the programme “on the day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine”.

At the time, he said: “I have opposed every illegal invasion by one country of another for the last 30 years, regardless of the countries involved.

“This is an illegal invasion. My action was immediate, decisive and, given how this tragedy has unfolded, final.”

Former Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee chairman Damian Collins said Ofcom “made the right decision”.

He tweeted: “RT are under the control of the Russian state and prevented under Russian law from reporting the truth about (Vladimir) Putin’s brutal and unprovoked war against Ukraine.”

Shadow culture secretary Lucy Powell said Labour welcomes Ofcom’s decision to revoke RT’s licence.

She said: “Labour has long called for Russia Today, (Vladimir) Putin’s propaganda factory, to have its licence revoked. We welcome this decision, though it should have come much sooner.

“Tackling state disinformation is vital to protect our security and democracy, yet inexplicably the Online Safety Bill published yesterday by Government fails to mention this.

“Ministers must strengthen the Bill and ensure that state actors trying to undermine our country are thwarted.”

The RT news website is currently still up and running but its YouTube channel has been taken down.