The British government on Wednesday dismissed a TV presenter's claim that there could be a link between 5G technology and coronavirus as "complete nonsense".
The 5G conspiracy theory, spread widely on social media, has already led to a new telecoms mast being set alight in Ireland at the weekend.
Experts have poured scorn on the claim, saying 5G is based on radio frequency and is not related to the viral outbreak.
But Eamonn Holmes, who presents ITV's This Morning show, said they were dismissing the theory "when they don't know it's not true".
"What I don't accept is mainstream media immediately slapping that down as not true when they don't know it's not true," he said, leading to hundreds of complaints.
"It's very easy to say it is not true because it suits the state narrative."
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content