Dorries thought her own consultation found that 96% of respondents supported channel 4 privatisation, when in fact 96% opposed it.
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries has dropped another clanger when answering a question on Channel 4 privatisation, as she got the numbers horribly wrong on just how many people supported the move.
Appearing before a Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee session about online safety and public service broadcasters, Dorries was asked by John Nicolson MP about her Channel 4 privatisation consultation, and how many people supported the move.
“I think the figure was about 96%,” replied Dorries.
In fact, the opposite was true and 96% of the 56,293 respondents opposed privatisation.
It’s not the first time that Dorries has made incorrect claims when discussing Channel 4’s privatisation. Speaking during a select committee hearing in November 2021, Dorries claimed Channel 4 is “in receipt of public money” when discussing the future of the channel, despite the fact it doesn’t.
Dorries also claimed that Channel 4 ‘didn’t do themselves any favours’ and told MPs that she would not ‘justify a news organisation whose anchor went out to shout obscenities at Tories’ – a reference to claims about Jon Snow which alleged he shouted ‘f*** the Tories at Glastonbury.’
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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