Key Highlights :
1. Laurence Fox has been suspended by GB News following "totally unacceptable" comments made towards a female journalist on air.
2. Fox made a series of remarks about Ava Evans, the political correspondent for online news site Joe. Speaking on an episode of Dan Wooton Tonight on Tuesday, Fox described Evans as a “little woman” and asked: “who’d want to shag that?”
3. Ms Evans shared a clip of the comments on social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, with the caption “Laurence Fox just did a whole speech on GB News on why men apparently won’t shag me ?” which has been viewed more than 2.1 million times.
4. In a follow up post on X she added that the footage made her feel “physically sick”.
5. GB News suspends Laurence Fox while they continue their investigation into the incident.
6. GB News confirmed that Fox had been suspended while they continue their investigation into the comments he made on the channel last night.
7. In a statement, posted on X, GB News said: "GB News has formally suspended Laurence Fox while we continue our investigation into comments he made on the channel last night. "Mr Fox's suspension is effective immediately and he has been taken off air. "We will be apologising formally to Ms Evans today."
8. Dan Wooton also posted a message to Ms Evans on the social media site, saying: “I think you’re brilliant. Earlier tonight I was attempting to find your tweets to read back from my iPad and couldn’t locate them. GB News has formally suspended Laurence Fox while we continue our investigation into comments he made on the channel last night. Mr Fox's suspension is effective immediately and he has been taken off air. We will be apologising formally to Ms Evans today. — GB News (@GBNEWS) September 27, 2023 “I apologise for what was said during the course of my show and should have done this immediately on air. “This is not what our channel is about.”
9. Ofcom has issued a statement after receiving a number of complaints relating to "totally unacceptable" comments made by Laurence Fox on GB News.
10. Taking to X, Ofcom issued a statement saying: "We can confirm we've received a number of complaints about comments made by Laurence Fox on GB News last night. "We are assessing these complaints against our broadcast rules and will publish the outcome as quickly as possible."
GB News has apologized for the "totally unacceptable" comments made by Laurence Fox on Dan Wooton Tonight, resulting in Fox's suspension. On Tuesday night, Fox made a series of remarks about Ava Evans, the political correspondent for online news site Joe, which included asking “who’d want to shag that?” The comments were shared on social media and have been viewed more than 2.1 million times.
In response, GB News issued a statement announcing Fox's suspension, effective immediately, and apologizing to Ms Evans. Dan Wooton also posted a message to Ms Evans on the social media site, apologizing for what was said during the course of his show and stating that this is not what their channel is about.
Ofcom has also issued a statement after receiving a number of complaints relating to Fox's comments. They are assessing the complaints against their broadcast rules and will publish the outcome as quickly as possible.
GB News has taken the appropriate steps to address the situation and ensure that such comments are not tolerated. They have apologized to Ms Evans and taken Fox off the air while they continue their investigation. This incident serves as a reminder that we must all take responsibility for our words and be mindful of how they can affect others.
