Tories join Labour in banning journalists from conference – this time, Byline Times

The Conservative Party has topped off a conference season of media suppression by stopping two independent journalists from attending – this time, from Byline Times.

This comes amid an intensifying assault on journalists in Britain, who have faced arrest or harassment particularly for scrutinising the British state’s participation in Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

Tories aping Trump by banning Byline Times

Byline Times has reported that a second journalist from the outlet has faced censorship at the Tory conference. David Hencke has won awards for his work and “has attended most Conservative party conferences since 1987”, but the Tories chose not to allow him entry this year. The party also chose to refuse the attendance request of Byline political editor Adam Bienkov.

While the Conservatives often claim to support free speech, that isn’t playing out in reality.

🔴Conservatives Accused of ‘Trumpian’ Tactics After Barring Second Byline Times Journalist From Conference

Award-winning journalist David Hencke has attended Tory conference since 1987 but is now hundreds of pounds out of pocket after being blocked https://t.co/aGNr16CgXJ

— Byline Times (@BylineTimes) October 8, 2025

Banned by Reform Party, Conservative Party, sanctioned by the Russian Government six times – what is @BylineTimes doing right? https://t.co/9BVfspgphR

— Peter Jukes (@peterjukes) October 8, 2025

Because Hencke had already booked accommodation “through a scheme promoted by the Conservative party itself”, he was unable to get a refund upon cancellation and lost hundreds of pounds as a result.

Hencke said:

I think the Tories are manoeuvring [towards Trump].

As Reporters Without Borders has insisted, the US:

is experiencing its first significant and prolonged decline in press freedom in modern history, and Donald Trump’s return to the presidency is greatly exacerbating the situation.

The group has called Trump out for his “unconstitutional assault on the country’s press freedom and the right to reliable information”.

Labour and Reform attacking media freedom too

Reform UK has revoked Byline Times‘ permission to attend its conference previously, and this year Reform banned outlets like New World and DeSmog too.

The ruling Labour Party, meanwhile, has been particularly hostile to journalists who have reported on its complicity with Israel’s genocide in Gaza. This includes Declassified UK journalists, Novara’s Rivkah Brown, and the Guardian‘s Owen Jones. Brown suggested that Labour, like Trump, was:

purging journalists it doesn’t like

Weird, same here.

At the same time as Owen, I received a similar email rescinding my media pass, due to an unspecified "breach of the event code of conduct".

Is Labour purging journalists it doesn't like? https://t.co/FqVBgkrc8D pic.twitter.com/uudOLAaEQo

— Rivkah Brown (@rivkahbrown) September 30, 2025

In response, National Union of Journalists leader Laura Davison said it seemed Labour was:

trying to evade press scrutiny

All of this adds to an overall impression in Western establishment politics right now that commitments to things like international law, freedom of speech, and the right to protest are a thing of the past. The West’s stubborn support for Israel’s genocide in particular has tested mainstream politicians to the limit – and they’ve failed miserably. In the process, they’re becoming more and more like the journalist–murdering apartheid state.

This is something that everyone who believes in democracy, regardless of their personal politics, should be very concerned about.

Featured image via the Canary