A complaint from the Conservatives over a melting ice sculpture used to represent Prime Minister Boris Johnson during a Channel 4 climate debate has been rejected, regulator Ofcom said.
The television watchdog said the sculpture did not “personally represent” Mr Johnson and virtually no editorial focus was placed on it throughout the programme.
READ MORE: Conservative source in threat to Channel 4 over ice 'stunt'
Conservative party sources threatened to pull the broadcaster’s licence following the stunt, which also saw Brexit party leader Nigel Farage replaced by a melting depiction of the globe.
The Tories lodged a formal complaint with Channel 4 last Thursday after alleging the broadcaster failed to allow the former environment secretary Michael Gove to be its representative for the debate, which saw party leaders face questions over how they would tackle climate change.
An Ofcom statement said: “Ofcom’s Election Committee has considered a complaint from the Conservative Party about The Channel 4 News Climate Debate."
“Broadcasters have editorial freedom in determining the format of any election debate.
"Depending on the circumstances, they may choose to proceed without having agreed the participation of a particular political party or politician, providing they take steps to ensure the programme complies with our due impartiality and elections rules."
READ MORE: Boris Johnson accused of 'running scared' over TV no-show
It continued: “In this case, the Election Committee concluded that, across the one-hour debate and a subsequent news programme, Channel 4’s use of editorial techniques ensured that the Conservative’s viewpoint on climate and environmental issues was adequately reflected and given due weight.”
Mr Gove turned up at the television studio with the Prime Minister’s father Stanley Johnson before the debate was due to kick off, on Thursday November 28, but was not permitted to take to the stage.
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