Farage appoints a senior RAF officer as Reform UK's armed forces spokesman, after months of criticism that the party is not serious about defence
Reform UK is appointing RAF Wing Commander Angus MacIntyre, who has stood down after a 40-year military career, as its armed forces spokesman.
FL Far leftL LeftC CentreR RightFR Far right Bias scale, not party colours
Our outlet list is not evenly split: about 50% left-rated, 15% centre and 35% right-rated, so raw splits lean left by construction. Blindspots are tested against each side's own share. About our sample.
Left 0 · Centre-left 1 · Centre 0 · Centre-right 2 · Right 3
ContextSources by leanVideoDeep diveFollow the moneyMore coverage
How each side framed it
Right-leaning outlets
'Senior RAF figure to be appointed as Reform UK’s armed forces spokesman' (Evening Standard); 'Reform appoints senior RAF officer as Armed Forces spokesman' (The Telegraph).
Centre outlets
No least-biased (centre) outlet in our sample covered it.
Left-leaning outlets
'Farage appoints new armed forces spokesman to rebuff pro-Putin claims' (The Independent).
Context
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Sources by lean
Balanced: the same number of articles from the left, the centre and the right (up to 3 each). The bar above still counts every rated outlet we found. Bias and factual ratings come from Media Bias/Fact Check. How we balance · All ratings.
R Right 1
C Centre 0
No centre coverage found — blindspot
L Left 1
- The Independent L
Farage appoints new armed forces spokesman to rebuff pro-Putin claims
Showing 1 from left and right of 6 rated outlets (L 1 / C 0 / R 5). Capped at 1 because that is all we found on the thinnest side. More coverage
Video
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Deep dive
A short prompt for thinking it through. We write a fuller side-by-side deep dive for the day's biggest stories.
The paradox: Outlets agree on the appointment and differ on whether it is a defence credential or a response to criticism.
A question to hold: What would each side need to see to change its mind?
Try it: open one right and one left article in Sources by lean and note what each takes for granted.
Follow the money
Not yet researched. We haven't yet looked at who gains or loses financially from this story, or who funds the main voices on each side. When we do, we check company filings, the Electoral Commission donations register, lobbying registers, annual reports, InfluenceMap and OpenSecrets, and we apply the same checks to every side. How we follow the money.
Who owns or funds the outlets covering this story (6 outlets)
| Outlet | Lean | Ownership & funding (MBFC) |
|---|---|---|
| The Independent | Centre-left | The Independent is owned by Independent Print Limited, a company owned by the Lebedev family (Alexander Lebedev and his son Evgeny Lebedev). In 2017, Saudi Businessman Sultan Muhammad Abuljadayel bought a 30% stake in the Independent online newspaper. Advertising and subscription generate revenue for the paper..push({}); source |
| Evening Standard | Centre-right | The newspaper is majority-owned by Russian businessman and former KGB agent Alexander Lebedev and the Daily Mail and General Trust. Revenue is generated through advertising. source |
| ITV News | Centre-right | No ownership data found |
| Daily Mail | Right | The Daily Mail is published by Associated Newspapers Limited, part of Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT). DMGT is controlled by the Rothermere family and is 100% owned by Rothermere Continuation Limited. Jonathan Harmsworth, 4th Viscount Rothermere, serves as Chairman..push({}); DMGT became privately owned after delisting from the London Stock Exchange in 2022. source |
| GB News | Right | GB News lacks transparency as they do not disclose ownership. A search reveals that London-based ALL Perspectives Ltd owns GB News. According to Reuters, the television channel “secured millions of dollars from investors such as Discovery Inc, Legatum and hedge fund manager Paul Marshall. source |
| The Telegraph | Right | Telegraph Media Group (TMG) owns The Telegraph, which is owned by Press Acquisitions Ltd., which in turn is owned by Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay. In 2004, Twin Brothers Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay acquired the Daily Telegraph and the Sunday Telegraph from the Canadian media company Hollinger Inc. for £665 million. For a complete list of Board members, see here. source |