Ofcom has fined JML Media £7,500 after it emerged a director failed to disclose his political affiliations.
John Mills, the founder and director of the homeshopping channel group, was at one time Labour’s largest donor.
“We found that JML Media Limited failed to disclose to Ofcom the political associations of one of its directors and major shareholders. This meant that the Licensee rendered itself disqualified from holding its broadcasting licence, under restrictions in the Broadcasting Act,” the regulator said in a statement.
The fine, which takes into account the action taken by JML to rectify the breach and its full cooperation with Ofcom, goes to HM Paymaster General.
A spokesperson for JML said: “We welcome this decision. It makes clear the breach was not deliberate, the potential harm to viewers was limited, and we fully engaged and cooperated with Ofcom throughout the process.
“The breach was a result of clerical oversight, and once Ofcom made us aware of the issue, Mr Mills immediately resigned from all the political organisations to ensure compliance. To ensure this does not occur again in the future we have appointed a compliance officer to oversee all company regulatory processes.”
In July Mills resigned from positions at Labour Leave, Labour Future, The Pound Campaign, Business for Brexit, and Labour for Britain.