Former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has joined the right-wing British television network GB News as a presenter and commentator, the channel announced on Friday.
Johnson, who resigned from Parliament in disgrace earlier this year amid an investigation into his COVID “Partygate” scandal, is just the latest conservative politician to join the network, which launched in 2021 as Britain’s answer to Fox News.
“I am excited to say that I am shortly going to be joining you on GB News,” he said in a video posted to GB News’ social media accounts on Friday.
“I’m going to be giving this remarkable new TV channel my unvarnished views on everything from Russia, China, the war in Ukraine, how we meet all those challenges, to the huge opportunities that lie ahead for us, why I believe our best days are yet to come,” he added. “And why, on the whole, the people of the world want to see more global Britain, not less.”
Stating that the former British leader will “play a key role in the channel’s coverage of both the UK general election and the US elections next year,” GB News noted that Johnson will begin hosting at the start of 2024.
“I’m delighted to say, GB News has got Boris ‘done’! We are tremendously proud to have him join the GB News family, particularly as we head into a seismic year of politics both here and across the Atlantic,” GB News editorial director Michael Booker said. “Boris has been the most influential Prime Minister of our generation, and his unique insight into domestic and world affairs will be a smash hit with our viewers and listeners.”
After rage-quitting Parliament just before he was found to have misled the government over his defiance of COVID lockdown rules, Johnson took a job with the right-leaning tabloid The Daily Mail as a columnist. That gig immediately landed him in hot water as the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments accused him of violating anti-corruption policies by committing a “clear breach” of their rules.
The announcement of Johnson’s new TV role came on the same day that former Tory chancellor George Osborne claimed that “disgusting and misogynistic” WhatsApp messages between Johnson and his former adviser would be released as part of a Partygate inquiry.
Since its debut two years ago, GB News has dealt with more than its share of bumps in the road. Andrew Neil, who was the network’s chairman and lead presenter, resigned just three months after launching the channel. Since then, the network has struggled with technical problems, low ratings, advertisers pulling out, and regulatory run-ins.
Last month, the network suspended presenters Dan Wootton and Laurence Fox following a misogynistic rant by Fox about female journalist Ava Evans. Fox was later sacked for the “totally unacceptable” comments on the same day he was arrested for “conspiring to commit criminal damage.”
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