GB News posted a clip claiming Andy Burnham had refused to take a question from its political editor. The clip shows the opposite.
It’s from Burnham’s press conference on social care on Wednesday. Sky’s Sam Coates is standing up, asking a question. Christopher Hope, GB News’s political editor, sits several rows back and raises his hand after Coates has already started talking. Burnham keeps listening to Coates.
GB News captioned it: “Watch: Andy Burnham refuses to take a question from GB News’ Political Editor @ChristopherHope at his first press conference as Prime Minister.” Hope shared it too, adding: “This is disappointing from the new PM.”
Neither post explains where the refusal actually happens. Burnham doesn’t reject Hope, respond to him, or say anything about GB News. There’s no exchange between the two of them at all.
What’s actually in the video
Coates is already on his feet and talking when the clip starts. Hope raises his hand behind him. Burnham looks at Coates and listens. Nothing passes between Burnham and Hope.
@Zero_4 filled in the context from the longer footage: ITV’s Rebecca Barry had asked the previous question, Burnham called on Coates, Coates stood up and started speaking, then Hope raised his hand. “Coates stands up and begins his questioning before Hope meekly and pointlessly raises his hand,” he wrote. “There is no refusal.”
Whether Hope got called on later isn’t shown either way. All the clip proves is that he wasn’t picked while someone else was mid-question, which happens at every press conference with more than two reporters in the room.
A Community Note landed pretty fast
X added one: “During the video posted by GB News, Sam Coates of Sky is in the middle of asking a question. At no point does the Prime Minister refuse to answer a question from GB News.”
Most of the replies got there faster than the note did. @cgdav135: “Sorry, do you expect Burnham to call on Chris whilst Sam Coates is mid-question?” @ProudlyPastoral: “Have they uploaded the wrong video? Someone is literally in the middle of talking. Is the PM supposed to stop them and ask someone else a question?” @Liam_Fountain: “Am I missing something here, someone is literally mid-question????”
@SophieRose19x: “Did he refuse? The other guy was up and asking his question.” @JimCognito2016: “You’ve accidentally put a different video up that doesn’t show this.”
Even people who clearly aren’t Burnham fans weren’t buying it. @BritisherPaz49: “Give the devil his due here, the other guy was talking. Nowhere in this video was Andy Burnham seen to be refusing a question.”
Hope didn’t add anything beyond “disappointing”
No further footage, no follow-up showing an actual rejection. Just the same clip and one word. Some people backed him anyway, arguing Burnham favours friendlier broadcasters generally. Others pointed out that one unsuccessful attempt to get called on doesn’t establish that at all.
GB News was never going to be friendly here
Farage presented shows on the channel for years, and its lineup’s full of former Tories and Reform supporters. Nobody expects warm coverage of a Labour government from GB News, and it doesn’t need to give any. Hostility isn’t the issue, hostile broadcasters still get to ask ministers questions, and if there were real evidence Downing Street was freezing GB News out, that’d genuinely be worth reporting.
This clip isn’t that evidence. It’s Hope raising his hand after someone else had already been invited to speak.
What Burnham was actually being asked about
The press conference followed a speech on social care, where Burnham announced bringing forward Baroness Louise Casey’s independent review to 2027, alongside plans to look at care workers’ pay and conditions and cross-party talks on a National Care Service running alongside the NHS. Reform, the Greens and the SNP weren’t invited to that first round. Funding remains unresolved, Burnham hasn’t ruled out tax changes but says the government needs to check existing money’s being spent properly first.
That’s the policy Coates was actually pressing him on when Hope’s hand went up. GB News clipped the moment, called it a refusal, and posted footage that shows nothing of the sort.
People watched it, looked for the snub, and couldn’t find one..
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