Business of the House

Richard Holden Excerpts

Thursday 6th March 2025 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

May I remind Members to speed up, so that we can get everyone in?

[Mr Richard Holden (Basildon and Billericay) (Con)]

I declare my interest as vice-chair of the all-party parliamentary media group and chair of the all-party parliamentary group on freedom of speech.

Last month I found myself in somewhat rare agreement with the Chancellor when she challenged Britain�s regulators to create a regulatory environment that unlocks innovation and investment. Our media is one the sectors in which we have seen really good growth over the past few years, with huge diversification right across the sector, but there is a concern about the attitude of regulators, which might undermine that growth potential.

I think specifically of cases highlighted recently in an opinion piece by my hon. Friend the Member for Windsor (Jack Rankin), in which Ofcom fined GB News 10 times more for doing a question time event with the Conservative party leader than it fined another channel for broadcasting antisemitic tropes. I worry that that attitude towards policing the media, which seems to focus more on politics than prejudice, may act as a barrier to others coming into the sector. Will the Leader of the House schedule a debate on the media sector, the role of regulation and freedom in our sector?

[Mr Speaker]

That is a bad example of a short question. [Laughter.]