Derek Thomas MP has written to the Culture Secretary demanding that the Kremlin-funded television channel is taken off British airwaves as soon as possible.
Russia Today was founded in 2005, with money from the Kremlin and associated banks, and its parent company, ANO TV-Novosti, is on the Kremlin’s list of strategic organizations of Russia, priority objects of government support in the event of a crisis. Its own editor-in-chief, Margarita Simonyan, has described it as "waging an information war, and with the entire Western world".
Russia Today has been banned in Ukraine since 2014. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the European Union announced it was formally banning RT. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube have blocked their social media content, and Microsoft and Apple have removed their apps from their stores. The United Kingdom has, to date, refused to ban Russia Today.
The British Intelligence and Security Committee has stated that the UK is a target for Russian disinformation, and a recent report noted “serious distortions in the coverage provided by Russian state-owned international broadcasters such as RT”.
The Culture Secretary has already written to OfCom, the broadcasting regulator, asking them to prioritise complaints about RT’s broadcasting and ensure that it is not spreading harmful disinformation. OfCom have agreed to expedite investigations into coverage of the Ukraine conflict as a matter of urgency.
Derek does not believe that this goes far enough, and has written to the Culture Secretary demanding that she directs OfCom to withdraw RT’s licence to broadcast on television.
Derek says:
“It is not good enough to leave this decision to the independent regulator.
“The government needs to give robust guidance to OfCom to shut off the flow of dangerous misinformation and propaganda.
“Opposition parties – including Labour and the SNP – have already shown that they have no objection – what is the government waiting for?
“We can’t allow ourselves to be shown up by TikTok.”
