GQ has admitted that there was “retouching” of the image of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn on this month’s front page.
There has been widespread speculation online that the image was heavily airbrushed as it varies widely from previously published pictures of the Labour leader.
Tory MP Henry Smith told The Sun: “For someone who claims authenticity to have Jeremy Corbyn’s front cover GQ picture airbrushed ironically exposes his hypocrisy.
“Now we know it’s not just the dangerous far left policies that have been stylised to make them more saleable.”
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A spokesperson for British GQ said: “There was minimal retouching, as all GQ covers tend to include, in order to ensure our cover stars look their best.”
GQ is regulated by IPSO and editor Dylan Jones is signed up to abide by the Editors’ Code.
This states: “The press must take care not to publish inaccurate, misleading or distorted information or images, including headlines not supported by the text.”
Jones told Radio 4’s Today programme that photographing Corbyn was “as difficult as shooting any Hollywood celebrity”.
He said: “We’ve shot many politicians for our cover but never have we encountered such a ring of… Seumas Milne and his crew are very particular gatekeepers…They didn’t seem to understand the process at all, that he would have to be photographed in the first case, that he couldn’t just turn up in his anorak.
“It was almost like he was being pushed around like a grandpa for the family Christmas photograph.
“Initially he turned down Alastair Campbell who does most of our political interviews, then we sent Stuart McGurk. He went as something of a fan of Corbyn and was then quite quickly disillusioned.”
He added: “A lot of people go on a shoot like this. A lot of the younger members of the team wish they hadn’t met him, they found him to be quite underwhelming.”
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