Reform MS vows to end GB News ban in Senedd
Emily Price
A Reform UK Senedd Member has vowed to “sort out” the ban on GB News in Wales’ Parliament.
Cai Parry-Jones’ pledge to reinstate the right-wing channel to the Senedd’s internal tv network came after he raised concerns about the selection of newspapers on offer in the Members area.
Sharing a photo to social media of the Financial Times, the Guardian, the Morning Star, the Daily Telegraph and the South Wales Echo spread out on a table, the Caerdydd Ffynnon Taf MS said one of the five newspapers, “was founded by the Communist Party”.
“A signal of why economic growth in Wales has been so abysmal for the last 27 years?” he added.
The Morning Star was originally founded as the Daily Worker in 1930 by the Communist Party of Great Britain, but it now operates independently.
The newspapers’ Welsh reporter David Nicholson responded to Mr Parry-Jones arguing the Morning Star is “the only paper from outside Wales which employs a Wales-based reporter”.
He said: “Look at the FT, Guardian and others and see if they cover the Senedd and other stories.
“I’ll be in the Senedd next Tuesday to report on FMQs. If you want to discuss this meet me in the staff canteen.”
Mr Parry-Jones did not respond to the invitation.
Complaints
In the comments section of the MS’s original post, one of his followers asked: “Are they getting GB News yet or is that still banned?”
Mr Parry-Jones responded: “It’s still banned! Working on sorting that out at the moment.”
The Senedd’s former Presiding Officer, or Llywydd, Elin Jones of Plaid Cymru, removed GB News from the Senedd’s internal television network in October 2023.
The channel often screens programmes in which right wing interviewers nod in agreement with the right-wing commentators they are interviewing and has been subject to several Ofcom investigations.
The Llywydd’s GB News ban came amid an influx of complaints after actor-turned-right-wing activist Laurence Fox was sacked over comments he made live on air about a female journalist.
‘Offensive’
Speaking about PoliticsJOE reporter Ava Evans, Fox had asked what “self-respecting man” would “climb into bed” with her.
He said: “We need powerful strong, amazing women who make great points for themselves. Who’d want to shag that?”
Elin Jones branded the comments “deliberately offensive”, “demeaning to public debate” and “contrary to our Parliament’s values”.
Reform’s leader Nigel Farage later hosted a special live episode of Farage at Large in Cardiff Bay to discuss the Llywydd’s decision which he condemned as “totalitarian”.
Most Senedd Members have televisions in their offices to watch committee meetings and plenary sessions.
A small selection of impartial news channels is also available for major events such as budgets, election results and other significant breaking news stories.
Referee
GB News and all other channels are still available on the Senedd’s ICT system – meaning an MS can watch any show on a Senedd computer if they choose to.
Ms Jones stepped down from her role as Llywydd at the start of the new Senedd term following the May 7 election.
Members have since appointed Labour’s Huw Irranca-Davies to be the Welsh Parliament’s official referee.
The appointment was backed by a large majority of Reform MSs, despite a competing bid for the Presiding Officer role from right-winger Paul Davies.
As a left-wing politician, it’s considered unlikely that Mr Irranca-Davies would row back on Jones’ decision to remove GB News from the Senedd’s television network.
In response to Mr Parry-Jones comments, Welsh Conservative Senedd Member Janet Finch Saunders said: “I am rather concerned about the Reform member’s priorities.
“Laptops, phones, flags and now media battles fought many years ago.
“Maybe, he should focus on the real priorities: Child poverty, unsafe corridor care, long treatment waiting times, poor public transport, low educational standards and more.
“It’s all about priorities!”
We asked a Senedd spokesperson if the new Llywydd was considering reinstating the channel. They said they had no comment at this time.
Nation.Cymru asked Mr Parry-Jones how he planned to overturn the ban.
We also asked why his party had elected another left-wing Llywydd.
Mr Parry-Jones did not respond.
His complaint about the Senedd’s newspaper availability and GB News follows several other concerns about his new role, including that he was issued two laptops and a phone, that he does not believe the Ukrainian flag should be flown, and that the Senedd’s toilet hand dryers carry a warning sticker for autistic people.
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Good to see this fool is tuned into all the big issues that concern Welsh voters. Hopefully it won’t be long until he’s selling the Big Issue rather than stealing taxpayers money.
The lack of global news channels is a bigger concern. CNN, France24, DW, CNA, Euronews, NHK. Perhaps he might add RT?
He should go all the way and demand Fox News and Press TV for an alternative view point to FN
That clown is trying to make a name for himself for all the wrong causes. I will be surprised if he lasts the full term
The behaviour he has exhibited so far strongly suggests to me that there will be something in the background which will result in his discontinuance as an MS.
Lembo o’r raddfa uchaf.
Attention seeker.
Oes modd dechrau deiseb i gael gwared o’r plentyn hwn.
Mae e hyd yn oed yn embaras i Reform (sy’n dipyn o ddweud!).
Not this blydi dope again, it’s obvious now that he’s not serious about politics & most certainly not interested in the welfare of Cymru & her people. He’s working so hard at becoming the disruptive clown of the Senedd that as stated elsewhere he’ll be lucky to last the first term. A Cambridge education gone completely to waste it seems.
Keep up the good work Cai. Sorry to see that you’ve omitted the Beano and the Dandy from your important campaign.
Word of the day today, “Priorities”.
That made me laugh maybe he can also insist on The Cbeebies Channel
This guy doesn’t even know the starting point. Instead of crowing on about GeeBeebies, where he goes to get his bottle of formula and nappy changed, he must apologise to the Welsh public for misleading them over the lies he told about the cost of and amount of laptops issued. We will wait forever for that but WE WILL wait which means nothing he says subsequently will be entertained until he returns to the starting point.
Bellend.
Cai Parry-Jones has taken Andrew RT Davies crown as the biggest clown in the Senedd, and in just 3 weeks.
Truly impressive stuff.
Oh, I think it’s still neck and neck between Alzheimer Artie and Cai dy geg.
We’re hearing far more from this guy than Silent Dan. Who’s really running Reform UK (Wales region)?
He should try reading the Morning Star, and arrange to meet Mr Nicholson at the Senedd. He might gain some insight about topical issues because he sure as hell will not learn a single thing by staring at GB News with his tongue out.
The result of politics being seen as simple by people like Reform Saes and Trump is that people like him, who understand nothing about its complexities, are getting into power. The reason why GB News should not be available with other news channels is simple: they have been pulled up by Ofcom more than once, they’ve also shared many made-up stories, and when they’ve had to deal with both, their response has been the same: “We are not a news channel, we are an opinion piece, therefore we don’t need to follow the same laws as news channels”. Because of… Read more »
GB ‘News’ attempted to rehabilitate the reputation of Olympic athlete and convicted sex offender Steven van de Velde, whose participation during the 2024 Olympics quite rightly ignited a firestorm of controversy.
At the same time they moaned about drag queens appearing at the opening ceremony of the same Olympics.
Because sexual degeneracy is when queer people exist and are visible in society, not when a cishet white male literally grooms a child. Obviously.
Conservative clot MS Cai Parry-Jones is a fool. Reform does not care about the real issues affecting Wales; bigotry and bunting are his & their priority. We need look no further than their counterparts in England, where Reform runs Kent County Council. Currently, they are facing water shortages – so what is their solution? Not addressing water supply, but taking down “woke” flags and demanding all councillors sing “God Save the King” before meetings.
Once again focusing on the day to day issues that affect Welsh working people…
Who is this clown? I’d call him a traitor but I take traitors seriously,
If he has two laptops then he can watch GBeebies in stereo.
Let’s see his record so far.
Yep, muck spreader. Notice the sneaky question because someone may not be the same colour as him.
https://senedd.wales/search/?orderAlias=sortByDateNewestFirst&category=Tabled%20Business&people=Cai%20Parry-Jones%20MS
With all these Reform Senedd members out of their depth, it’s time to employ a lifeguard at the Senedd.
This bloke is clearly trying to be chief agitator in the new Senedd.
Might be helpful to start cracking on with some actual work, that you’ve been elected to carry out, rather than crying over issues that nobody cares about.
Probably a sign of what’s to come from the rest of the RefUK lot over the next few years 😴
He’s a very sad kind of desperate isn’t he?
This young man’s track record in the short time since the start of the new Senedd term suggests that his self-appointed mission is to undermine the dignity of the Senedd at every opportunity, presumably in the hope of eventually building and popularising an ‘Abolish’ campaign. He’s fast becoming Farage’s useful Welsh idiot.
The problem is only the name. Call it Reform TV and no-one would care what nonsense they broadcast. The argument to have it in the Senedd would then be based on equity because CBeebies is available.
GCrybabies News have now gone on the offensive against Plaid Cymru.They have condemned Plaid for Cultural Extemism
Textbook response from them. Media manipulation is basically the only tool they have.
Pretty obvious he never had the love he craved as a child. He makes big noises about trivial things to get attention. I bet even his co-traitors are embarrassed at his goofs and gaffes. This fool will end up costing the Welsh taxpayer a shedload as he wastes everybody’s time with his blatant showboating. Twlsyn.