Jeremy Vine dropped as host of carers awards ceremony after backlash

The Channel 5 presenter was announced as leading the 2026 Carers UK Awards earlier this week, which seeks to “shine a spotlight” on the contribution of unpaid carers, but the decision was met with outrage on social media.

Campaigners had criticised the decision and said Vine should be replaced as he “attacks disabled people for clicks”.

Mike O’Brien, a campaigner for unpaid carers, said Carers UK had “chosen to stab us all in the back” by choosing Vine as the host.

“This man has made clear his hate for disabled people, the vulnerable and unpaid carers, yet you chose him to host the awards ceremony,” he wrote on Twitter/X.

“I sincerely hope you see the error of your ways and the anger you have caused within the unpaid carer community and change your minds about this awful decision.”

Following the backlash, Carers UK announced that Vine would no longer be hosting the event.

Jeremy Vine (Image: Channel 5/PA)

A spokesperson for Carers UK said: “Following discussions with Jeremy Vine, we’ve made the decision that he will no longer be hosting this year’s Carers UK Awards.

“Jeremy has been incredibly supportive of Carers UK including through his radio show, and we’re grateful for that support.

“But after listening carefully to our community over the past couple of days, we’ve agreed that the focus of the evening should stay entirely on celebrating carers and the individuals and organisations that support them, without the risk of other content becoming a distraction.”

Vine also took to Twitter/X to address the controversy.

“Because I host debates about welfare, benefits etc I see I was a controversial choice to be the (obviously unpaid) host of the prestigious @CarersUK awards so I’m very happy to stand aside and give someone else the honour of doing it,” the broadcaster said.

“I originally said yes to support a friend who watched her husband die in a long and painful process, and I didn’t want to let her down. I see her as a heroine.

“I’m not a campaigner, and guests on my shows know I have to be impartial, but I’m very much aware of the vital role unpaid carers play. I believe we’ve only ever covered them sympathetically.

“I wish @CarersUK well with their excellent event and will cheer the winners from a distance.”

Earlier this week, on August 16, Vine’s programme on Channel 5 ran a segment in response to Reform UK’s policy announcements on benefits, titled: “Reform right to call for cuts to disability benefits?”

Another Facebook video from August 18 had the caption: “Should benefits claimants clean the high street?”