Ofcom blasted over £4.6m legal bill after GB News court defeat

Ofcom's spending on external advisers soared to £4.6 million last year after the media watchdog suffered a stinging court defeat at the hands of GB News.

New accounts released on Thursday revealed a £1.1 million rise in advisory fees for the year ending March 2025 - a 31 percent jump. Ofcom chiefs pinned the surge on "higher external counsel and litigation costs" and confirmed the total included a provision for an undisclosed legal case.

It follows a major blow in February, when a High Court judge ruled that Ofcom was wrong to accuse former Tory minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg of breaching broadcasting rules during his GB News show.

The ruling marked a landmark victory for the broadcaster and was the first time Ofcom had lost a legal battle over its broadcasting standards decisions. The regulator was also ordered to cover GB News's legal fees on top of its own.

While GB News celebrated the ruling as a win for free speech, it has since clashed with Ofcom again over the use of politicians as presenters. In response to the ruling, the watchdog proposed tougher restrictions, banning politicians from presenting news segments - though they could still host current affairs shows.

GB News has slammed the proposals as "irrational" and an "unjustified interference with freedom of expression".

But pressure is mounting on Ofcom to go further, with fresh calls for an outright ban on politicians fronting any politically charged programmes - a move that could see high-profile figures like Reform UK leader Nigel Farage pulled off air.

Ofcom's rising legal costs - believed to stem from multiple court cases - have added strain to its finances as the regulator expands its remit to cover Big Tech firms.

According to its latest annual report, staff costs ballooned by more than £11 million to £138.5 million as employee numbers climbed from 1,424 to 1,557.

Temporary staffing and recruitment bills also increased by £500,000, driven by greater reliance on contractors to help regulate online content.

Ofcom's new responsibilities include enforcing landmark online safety laws designed to shield children from harmful content. A raft of new child protection measures - targeting material related to suicide, self-harm, eating disorders and pornography - will come into force later this month.