IPSO rules agains Sun's Queen headline

Buckingham Palace complained to the Independent Press Standards Organisation

(IPSO) that The Sun breached Clause 1 (Accuracy) of the Editors’ Code of

Practice, in an article headlined “Queen Backs Brexit” published on 9 March

2016.

IPSO upheld the complaint, and has ordered The Sun to publish its decision as

a remedy.

The article was published on the newspaper’s front page. The headline appeared

beneath the strapline “Exclusive: bombshell claim over Europe vote” and

above the sub-headline “EU going in wrong direction, she says”. Accompanying

the headline was an official photograph of the Queen in ceremonial dress.

The article reported that two unnamed sources had claimed that the Queen made

critical comments about the EU at two private functions: a lunch for Privy

Counsellors at Windsor Castle in 2011, and a reception for Members of

Parliament at Buckingham Palace said to have taken place “a few years ago”.

The complainant said that the headline meant that the Queen was a supporter of

the Leave campaign in the forthcoming referendum, and wanted to see Britain

leave the EU. The complainant said this was misleading, distorted, and

unsupported by the text.

The newspaper said that readers would have known that the headline referred to

no more than a claim that the Queen backs Brexit. The text of the article

set out the basis for that claim: the accounts of apparently Eurosceptic

views said to have been expressed by the Queen on two previous occasions.

This was a legitimate public interest story, and its readers were entitled

to know the Queen’s views.

In IPSO’s view, while the complaint about the article itself did not raise a

breach of the Code, the headline went much further than a claim about what

the Queen might think. It was a factual assertion that the Queen had

expressed a position in the referendum debate, and there was nothing in the

headline, or the manner in which it was presented on the newspaper’s front

page, to suggest that this was conjecture, hyperbole, or was not to be read

literally.

IPSO acknowledged the importance of headlines in tabloid newspapers. However,

it did not follow from the comments the article reported that the Queen

wanted the UK to leave the EU as a result of the referendum: that suggestion

was conjecture and the Committee noted that none of those quoted in the

story were reported as making such a claim.

The headline was not supported by the text. It was significantly misleading –

given that it suggested a fundamental breach of the Queen’s constitutional

obligations – and represented a failure to take care not to publish

inaccurate, misleading or distorted information in breach of Clause 1 (i).

The complaint under Clause 1 was upheld.

THE Queen has been hailed as a backer of Brexit tonight after details emerged

of an extraordinary alleged bust-up between her and Nick Clegg over Europe.

Her Majesty let rip at the then Deputy PM during a lunch at Windsor Castle,

The Sun has been told.

5 The Queen and David Cameron

The 89-year-old monarch firmly told passionate pro-European Mr Clegg that she

believed the EU was heading in the wrong direction.

Her stinging reprimand went on for “quite a while”, leaving other guests

around the table stunned.

The account of the bombshell lunch during the last government - which a

handful of other government ministers also attended - has been relayed to

The Sun by a highly reliable source.

The senior source said: “People who heard their conversation were left in no

doubt at all about the Queen’s views on European integration.

“It was really something, and it went on for quite a while.

“The EU is clearly something Her Majesty feels passionately about.”

The monarch is also said to have revealed her Eurosceptic feelings during a

separate conversation with MPs at a Buckingham Palace reception.

One of a group of Parliamentarians in a circle with her at the time asked Her

Majesty for her thoughts on Brussels.

The Queen is said to have snapped back angrily: “I don’t understand Europe”.

A parliamentary source, who relayed the remark to The Sun, said: “It was said

with quite some venom and emotion. I shall never forget it”.

The claims will explode a furious controversy.

Brexit-backing Tory MPs are already leaping on The Sun’s revelations as a

strong sign the Queen is secretly on the side of Leave ahead of the landmark

EU referendum on June 23.

5 The Queen and Boris Johnson

But British monarchs are deemed to be above politics and have always tried

hard to stay out of divisive issues.

The upcoming EU referendum is one of the most divisive in decades, splitting

the country down the middle on whether to remain or leave.

Buckingham Palace and Mr Clegg tried to pour cold water on the bust-up claim,

but neither expressly denied a heated debate between the Queen and the

former Lib Dem leader had taken place.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “The Queen remains politically neutral, as

she has for 63 years. We would never comment on spurious, anonymously

sourced claims.

“The referendum will be a matter for the British people.”

5 Nick Clegg meets the Queen

Former Lib Dem boss Mr Clegg told The Sun: “I have absolutely no recollection

of it.

“I don’t have a photographic memory. But I think I would have remembered

something as stark or significant as you have made it out to be.

“No doubt you’ll speak to someone else and they’ll say, ‘I was there I heard

it’. Fine.

“But I really can’t remember it at all.

“Anyway, without sounding pompous, I find it rather distasteful to reveal

conversations with the Queen.”

Despite the longstanding tradition for Royals to stay out of politics, The

Queen was seen to have controversially intervened in the referendum on

Scottish independence in September 2014.

In remarks widely judged to have been a call to keep Great Britain together,

Her Majesty told well-wishers after a Sunday church service that voters

should “think very carefully” before making their decision.

It is believed the remark had been carefully cooked up by the Queen’s top

official Sir Christopher Geidt and Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood —

who is the PM’s most senior mandarin — after the government appealed for her

help when polls showed a surge in support for the 'Yes' campaign.

The only other time the Queen was embroiled in a major political controversy

was in 1986, when The Sunday Times reported that then PM Margaret Thatcher’s

social policies and attitude to the Commonwealth caused Her Majesty dismay.

Buckingham Palace issued a string of denials but the Sunday Times stood by its

story.

5 The Queen and Prince Philip

It emerged the source was the Queen’s Press Secretary Michael Shea, who was

eventually forced to leave his job.

Fears are also growing the Queen will come under heavy pressure from No10 to

make a pro-EU intervention during her official 90th birthday celebrations in

mid-June, just days before the nationwide vote.

Every word of the monarch’s public utterances at the time will be pored over

by observers for any sign of her personal feelings.

Within Royal circles, the Duke of Edinburgh’s anti-EU views are also widely

known.

5 Jacob Rees-Mogg

The 94-year-old has been overheard making his significant dislike of Brussels

very clear in private remarks.

But the views of younger members of the Royal Family are less well known.

Prince William was dragged into a bitter row last month when remarks in a

speech he made at the Foreign Office were interpreted as being a tacit

signal that he wants the UK to stay in the EU.

Kensington Palace insisted the Duke of Cambridge had not meant give any

backing to either side.

Anti-EU campaigner and Tory MP Jacob Rees Mogg said: “I’d be delighted if this

was true and Her Majesty is a Brexiter.

“The reason we all sing God Save The Queen so heartily is because we always

believe she is there to protect us from European encroachment.”

Another leading Tory Eurosceptic, MP Steve Baker, said: “This is a happy day

for those of us who have sworn allegiance to Her Majesty the Queen, her

heirs and successors.

“I would be delighted to welcome Her Majesty to our cause.

“I’ve insisted the government must not to drag the monarchy into this debate,

but I may have to make an exception to my high principles on this occasion.”





Don’t voters have a right to know what the Queen thinks on the EU?

By TOM NEWTON DUNN, Political Editor

OUR revelations will trigger an almighty row, because the Queen loathes

little more than being dragged into an ugly political knife fight.

Constitutionally, it is vital for the monarch to remain about the fray, no

matter how important the issue is – and they don’t come much bigger than

Brexit.

Buckingham Palace may even go as far as formally denying her anti-EU

remarks that we are reporting were ever made.

Yet Her Majesty’s most senior officials pointedly did not do so tonight.

Neither did Nick Clegg.

We would also not be taking the big step in reporting them if they had not

come from two different and impeccably placed sources.

The Queen is very arguably the most respected stateswoman in the world.

If she has a view on something as big as Brexit, don’t voters have a right

to know what it is?

Hate it as she might, Her Majesty now has form for political interference.

It is now beyond doubt that she made a very careful intervention in the

Scottish independence referendum to back a vote for the union.

Can it be right that the Queen’s politics should only be known when she and

the Prime Minister deem it so between them?

It is a massive debate. But remember who started it.