Georgia PM’s Starmer outburst over Morning Wire sanctions scoop
The Prime Minister of Georgia has launched a bizarre attack on the UK government after Morning Wire revealed that consumer giant P&G had axed its advertising with the country’s biggest media group – and Nestle may soon follow suit.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze described the decisions, which came in the wake of sanctions applied by the UK government in February, as “a shame for England, a shame for Britain [and] a shame for [Keir] Starmer personally, who was the most unpopular prime minister in the world”.
Responding to questions by Georgian journalists, Kobakhidze said: “This is a shame for Britain because Britain is traditionally considered the homeland of human rights and Britain decided to close down television in Georgia and attack free media in our country.”
Nestle and P&G investigate Georgia links
Morning Wire this week revealed Nestle has launched an internal investigation into its relations with Imedi while P&G made the decision to cut ties with the company altogether. Other global brands, including the commercial arm of the BBC, cut ties as soon as Imedi was listed as a sanctioned company by the Foreign Office.
Georgia has been rocked by waves of protest against the ruling Georgian Dream party, a populist government that has faced accusations of being pro-Russian and anti-democratic.
Protests began in 2024 over a new Putin-style law against so-called “foreign influence”, which was seen as an attack on free speech and European relations. Last year demonstrators attempted to storm the presidential palace, prompting Kobakhidze to apply to outlaw the three biggest opposition parties, Coalition for Change, United National Movement, and the Strong Georgia-Lelo.
He has since indicated he may attempt to ban members of a new opposition alliance. Last week 10 opposition leaders were sentenced to between two and seven years each in prison over the Atoneli Palace incident. In a further deterioration in diplomatic relations, Kobakhidze last year accused the EU ambassador of supporting an “attempt to overthrow constitutional order”.
Bizarre outburst from PM
Kobakhidze claimed the withdrawal of P&G advertising and the possible loss of Nestle will not impact Imedi TV.
He said: “We guarantee that neither Imedi TV nor Postv will have any problems in terms of functioning and that media freedom in Georgia will be fully protected, no matter what kind of attack we see from the British authorities on media freedom in Georgia.
“I promised you that there would be no problems with the media and media freedom in Georgia, and [we] kept that promise. We promise you exactly the same now that neither Imedi TV nor Postv will suffer any losses, and both TV companies will continue to operate smoothly and without any losses.”
A spokesman for Procter & Gamble said: “P&G follows the law in every market where we serve consumers, and we take a rigorous approach to sanctions compliance including our media purchasing practices. We have not breached the UK sanctions regime. However, we have voluntarily adjusted our approach and paused advertising from Imedi TV in Georgia.”
A Nestle spokesperson said: “We want to reassure you that Nestlé complies with all applicable laws and international sanctions, and this includes our activities in Georgia.”
A UK government spokesperson declined to comment.