OPINION
M&S have shown real courage (Image: Getty)
Last week, I felt compelled to send an email to a supermarket CEO in support of GB News.
When I was a Member of Parliament, I would often write to supermarkets to raise constituents’ concerns about car parking or as part of a local campaign about food poverty.
But my email to Stuart Machin, the CEO of Marks and Spencer, was for a very different reason. I wanted to congratulate him for running an advertising campaign on GB News’ radio station.
I was alerted to this by a social media post from a GB News viewer who had gone out to shop at M&S as a result of the advert, with the retailer receiving a wave of very supportive social media reaction.
By taking this decision, Mr Machin and M&S have shown real courage.
Because since GB News started out in 2021, many companies have been targeted, harassed and hounded by pro-censorship campaign groups for daring to advertise with the network.
These politically motivated attacks are part of a crude attempt to shut down any media outlet who give a platform to views these groups disagree with by removing their source of revenue – all based on an arrogance that their opinion is superior to those of millions of people across Britain. Several newspapers, including these pages of the Daily Express, have been subject to their attacks too.
But by remaining true to its values and giving a voice to those who have long been ignored, including offering extensive coverage of the farmers’ protests and breaking the grooming gangs scandal, GB News has achieved rapid growth over the last 12 months.
Its detractors would have you believe that GB News is a fringe outlet. But the channel is neck-and-neck with Sky News in recent TV viewing figures, it is outperforming its main commercial radio rivals during evening prime time, and its website was ranked the fastest growing website in Britain in 2024. This has made it an increasingly attractive prospect for advertisers, with other household companies such as Volvo taking out ad space with the network.
These groups seeking to undermine free speech are now getting desperate. They know time is running out to achieve their desire of censoring GB News out of existence.
That’s why they continue to crowdfund to plug their losses and apply pressure on regulators to shut GB News down by starting sham petitions which are little more than a data capture exercise.
So it’s coming to a crunch.
After sending my email to Mr Machin, I published my own social media post explaining how pleased I was with M&S’ decision, and was swept away with hundreds of supportive messages, likes and shares.
Online sentiment is changing – because supporters of GB News are beginning to speak up.
This is encouraging. But there’s still some way to go.
Being meek will only see us lose what we value. Bullying of advertisers will continue.
And free speech and diversity of opinion will be lost.
If GB News is to not just survive but thrive, it’s time for those of us who value its role in a diverse media to be vocal in our support of the channel.
It’s time to push back against those seeking to censor broadcasters and instead welcome those who choose to advertise with them.
In short, it’s time to show the same courage displayed by Mr Machin.
Baroness Hoey was the Labour MP for Vauxhall from 1989 to 2019