Krishnan Guru-Murthy has been taken off air, it has been confirmed by Channel 4. The presenter will not appear on the broadcaster's news programme after accidentally calling an MP the C-word when he believed he was not live.
He was forced to apologised "unreservedly" to Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker after swearing at him in an "unguarded moment". The broadcaster said the remark followed a "robust interview" with Mr Baker but it was "beneath the standards I set myself".
It comes after yet another tumultuous day in Westminster which saw Suella Braverman resign as home secretary. During an off-air moment after his exchange with Mr Baker, Guru-Murthy was heard to say “what a c***”.
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He later tweeted: "After a robust interview with Steve Baker MP I used a very offensive word in an unguarded moment off air. While it was not broadcast that word in any context is beneath the standards I set myself and I apologise unreservedly. I have reached out to Steve Baker to say sorry."
In an interview with Times Radio, Baker said that sacking Guru-Murthy would be a “service to the public” if he was found to be in breach of his code of conduct. "I had an interview earlier with a journalist I don’t have a great deal of regard for who I felt was misrepresenting the situation through the construction of his question, which I called out, I think live on air, or I thought it was a pre-record," he said.
"And he clearly didn’t like that, quite right, too. But I’d be quite honest, I spent a long time live on air, calling him out on his conduct as a journalist and glad to do so any time. But it’s most unfortunate that he’s sworn on air like that. If it’s in breach of his code of conduct, I do hope they sack him – it would be a service to the public.”
Baker later replied to Guru-Murthy’s tweet, accepting the apology and saying he "appreciated" the gesture.
However, a new statement from the broadcaster on Thursday (October 20) said: “Channel 4 has a strict code of conduct for all its employees, including its programming teams and on-air presenters, and takes any breaches seriously. Following an off-air incident Channel 4 News anchor Krishnan Guru-Murthy has been taken off air for a week.”
Guru-Murthy will not return to Channel 4 News before November 4 due to a pre-existing week of leave.
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