Yahoo Movies Ofcom Reaches Decision Over Complaints About Susanna Reid's Boris Johnson Interview
Susanna Reid and Boris Johnson speaking at 10 Downing Street (Photo: ITV)
Ofcom has confirmed it will not be pursuing complaints made after Susanna Reid’s interview with Boris Johnson.
Earlier this month, Susanna sat down with the prime minister for a live interview on Good Morning Britain, during which she pressed him on a variety of issues, including the partygate scandal and the cost of living crisis.
During her interview, the anchor also questioned whether Johnson would resign as PM over the fine he received for breaking lockdown restrictions and accusations that he misled Parliament.
Following the broadcast, 98 complaints were made to Ofcom, which the TV watchdog announced on Monday would not be upheld.
'Are you honest Prime Minister?' - @susannareid100
Watch GMB on ITV and ITV Hub now as Susanna interviews Prime Minister Boris Johnson 👉 https://t.co/6iQ6ebeOEQpic.twitter.com/GyYTdGSn8v— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) May 3, 2022
An Ofcom spokesperson said: “We assessed complaints about this interview with the Prime Minister.
“We found he was given sufficient opportunity to put across the Government’s position, and the strong line of questioning was in keeping with regular viewers’ expectations of interviews with political figures on this programme.”
Boris Johnson’s appearance on GMB was his first since becoming prime minister, having last been interviewed on the show during his time as foreign secretary in 2017.
His 2022 interview was also notable as it included Johnson’s infamous “who’s Lorraine?” comment, in which he appeared not to know who daytime staple Lorraine Kelly was.
Following the interview, and Johnson’s remark about her, Lorraine hailed the broadcast as “excellent” and a “masterclass in a political interview”. Lorraine later insisted she did not expect the PM to know who she was.
Asked if Boris Johnson knows who Lorraine is, the PM’s spokesperson told HuffPost UK at the time: “I think as was clear the prime minister was not fully across the ITV daytime line-up this morning. He has a number of issues to deal with.”
Good Morning Britain airs every weekday from 6am on ITV.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost UK and has been updated.
