Dan Wootton: GB News presenter admits ‘errors’ but denies criminality
Former employers investigating allegations that he offered colleagues tens of thousands of pounds in return for sexual material
GB News presenter Dan Wootton has admitted he has made “errors of judgement” but denied any criminality after allegations emerged that he offered colleagues tens of thousands of pounds in return for sexual material.
The broadcaster and former tabloid journalist told viewers on his nightly show he has been the “target” of a “smear campaign”.
The allegations, first reported by Byline Times, include that Wootton posed as a fictitious showbusiness agent called “Martin Branning” to offer sums of up to £30,000 “tax free” to co-workers in return for filming themselves carrying out sex acts. Byline Times added that an anonymous “trusted former colleague” of Wootton’s had come forward to say the GB News presenter used the Branning name.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Guardian then reported that its staff had also been working on the Martin Branning story, but had so far been unable to “independently establish the link between Branning and Wootton”.
The publishers of The Sun and the Daily Mail, Wootton’s former employers, have confirmed they are also investigating the allegations.
In a monologue to open his show, Wootton said the allegations came from the “cesspit” of social media and that “dark forces” were trying to undermine GB News.
“These past few days I have been the target of a smear campaign by nefarious players with an axe to grind. I, like all fallible human beings, have made errors of judgement in the past. But the criminal allegations being made against me are simply untrue,” he said.
"I would like nothing more than to address those spurious claims. I could actually spend the next two hours doing so, but on the advice of my lawyers I cannot comment further."
During his time at The Sun, Wootton “was known for breaking stories such as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepping down from royal duties”, said the BBC.
In 2021 he moved to GB News, where he “has developed a persona as a right-wing presenter criticising ‘woke’ issues”, said The Guardian.
A spokesperson for GB News said the broadcaster had no comment at this time.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jamie Timson is the UK news editor, curating The Week UK's daily morning newsletter and setting the agenda for the day's news output. He was first a member of the team from 2015 to 2019, progressing from intern to senior staff writer, and then rejoined in September 2022. As a founding panellist on “The Week Unwrapped” podcast, he has discussed politics, foreign affairs and conspiracy theories, sometimes separately, sometimes all at once. In between working at The Week, Jamie was a senior press officer at the Department for Transport, with a penchant for crisis communications, working on Brexit, the response to Covid-19 and HS2, among others.
-
Geoff Capes obituary: shot-putter who became the World’s Strongest Man
In the Spotlight The 'mighty figure' was a two-time Commonwealth Champion and world-record holder
By The Week UK Published
-
Israel attacks Iran: a 'limited' retaliation
Talking Point Iran's humiliated leaders must decide how to respond to Netanyahu's measured strike
By The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: November 2, 2024
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Will Hollywood ditch Johnny Depp over High Court ‘wife-beater’ ruling?
Speed Read Industry experts say the actor’s critically acclaimed career is over - but high-profile friends claim he’ll be ‘vindicated’
By Chas Newkey-Burden Last updated
-
Lost soldier found in Vietnam 44 years after being shot down
In Depth Documentary tells the story of elderly man who claims to be Sgt John Hartley Robertson
By The Week Staff Published
-
Ted: new sex symbol for stuffed animal fetishists
Speed Read Teddy-bear in Mark Wahlberg film is a pin-up for 'plushies' who can't resist a fake furry animal
By The Week Staff Published