Raheem Kassam, editor-in-chief of The National Pulse, has accused The Times of London of drastically altering a report on a supposed conversation between British “Conservative” leader Olukemi “Kemi” Badenoch and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
In an interview on GB News Wednesday, Kassam condemned the newspaper’s actions, describing them as “radically stealth-editing” a story that claimed Meloni advised Badenoch against making a deal with Nigel Farage and his Reform UK party. According to Kassam, the original report was edited post-publication without an editorial note or public correction.
The article—initially published as an 800-word front-page piece on The Times’ website—was later slashed from 756 words to 477 with central claims removed. Kassam stated: “In almost two decades of political media experience, I have never seen a situation where a major national newspaper has 50 percent cut the story in half, removed the headline, completely changed it, completely changed the material of the story, removed all the crux, and not even bothered to put out a correction, a retraction, or anything like that.”
Sources close to Meloni confirmed the Italian premier never spoke with Badenoch about a possible Conservative-Reform pact. The Times’ political editor, Steve Swinford, reportedly accepted claims from Badenoch’s press team without verifying with Italian authorities or seeking independent corroboration. Kassam demanded: “We need to know: was it Kemi Badenoch and her team lying to The Times or was it The Times lying to their readers?”
