lawfully

Shell, she said, had "acted lawfully" in relying on the government’s consent and should not "be punished" for doing so.

The AG’s day-to-day role is to advise the government on how to act lawfully - and he also has to sign off use of some of our most complex criminal laws, including terrorism act offences.

"The plan to sanction GB News flies in the face of Ofcom's duty to act fairly, lawfully and proportionately to safeguard free speech, particularly political speech and on matters of public interest," he said.

But he insisted he “acted lawfully and appropriately to save the lives of my colleagues”.

Unlike in Wales and Northern Ireland, where displaying a rating is mandatory, English establishments can lawfully choose whether or not to show their ratings - or even display false ones.