GB News sparks Ofcom fury over M&S trans row 'I am disgusted'

GB News has faced a barrage of criticism from viewers who have submitted official complaints to Ofcom regarding alleged discriminatory language and inaccurate information on Josh Howie's weekly show, Free Speech Nation. Last week, the broadcasting regulator received 55 complaints over a discussion about an incident involving a transgender employee in M&S. Back in March, a biological male employee offered to assist a teenage girl in the lingerie section, which left the customer feeling uncomfortable.

Earlier this month, M&S apologised to the customer's mother for causing her teenage daughter "distress". Howie led the debate on his show on August 10, branding the situation a "very dodgy precedent". After speaking to a member of the audience, Howie said: "Obviously they did know that this was a man because they did identify him," before claiming that 99 per cent of transgender women look like a "bloke in a dress". He continued: "There's nothing to say that this person was homosexual. Most trans women are heterosexual so again, I think this is a very dodgy precedent."

Howie claimed the transgender employee worked in a different department on another floor and concluded it was "creepy" that they approached a teenage girl and asked if she needed help with her bra fitting.

The political commentator was joined by comedian Francis Foster, who agreed with his views.

"It is really bad and it looks bad for M&S, that they let this happen. The thing that makes it worse is if it was an adult, it would be bad, but the fact it was a teenage girl makes it look predatory. It's a terrible look for M&S," he said.

A clip of the debate was shared on Reddit, sparking fury amongst viewers. "Report this to Ofcom," demanded one viewer as another posted: "I am still disgusted for the poor woman being debated and treated like a predator for doing their job well."

A third echoed: "OMG. This is actually disgusting. I debated with myself whether I should watch it. I wish I hadn't."

Marks and Spencer was criticised for refusing to change their policy on trans employees, which permits staff members to self-identify and work in any part of the store, including female changing rooms.

The incident occurred just weeks before the Supreme Court made a ruling that the word sex in the Equality Act means biological sex rather than self-identified gender.

The mother said she felt it was "completely inappropriate" for her daughter to be approached by a "biological male" in the lingerie section of the store. An M&S customer service assistant replied with an apology the following day, but the mother was not satisfied with the response.

She requested that M&S introduce a policy to ensure that transgender staff would not approach young women. But in a new update, the store has revealed it will not be changing its policy.

A M&S spokesperson said: "We want our stores to be inclusive and welcoming for our colleagues and customers. We have written to this customer and explained that our colleagues typically work across all departments in our stores, and customers can always ask the colleague they feel most comfortable with."