GB News will use Boris Johnson as a “battering ram” to challenge Fox News for American viewers when he joins the channel as a presenter, an insider has said.
The former Prime Minister, who agreed a six-figure deal to appear as a presenter and regular commentator on GB News from early 2024, has already begun work for his new employers, giving the station an exclusive interview condemning Hamas from his recent trip to Israel.
GB News plans to use Mr Johnson to sell the channel as an “insurgent” online brand to a new audience of conservative US politics addicts who are seeking an alternative to Fox News, according to an insider.
“Boris is a globally-known figure and there’s a big US political market GB News can tap into, fuelled by online viral clips,” one figure said.
“Boris can get interviews with Trump and the big Republican players. You’ll see him regularly on screen as a pundit [for] the presidential election.”
GB News presenter Nigel Farage, a well-known figure in US conservative circles after appearances alongside Donald Trump, may also play a role in the channel’s plan to make advances in America.
Mr Johnson is also expected to boost the channel’s domestic TV viewing figures, which have struggled since the Middle East conflict sent audiences back to the BBC and Sky News.
But the former prime minister is too unreliable to be given a live show and his programmes will have to be pre-recorded, fellow presenter Michael Portillo warned.
Mr Portillo, who presents a Sunday GB News show, said Mr Johnson’s appearances will be “very carefully controlled I would imagine”, due to the former PM’s reputation for disorganisation.
“Boris is very unlikely to turn up on schedule,” his former Conservative colleague said.
Mr Portillo told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “Can you imagine Boris being here at 5am like the rest of us? No. So I imagine it will be pre-recorded stuff.”
It is unclear exactly how many hours of TV GB News will secure from Mr Johnson, who has extensive outside interests, earning £4.8m in his first five months after leaving office.
Under Whitehall rules, Mr Johnson will not be allowed to lobby the Government on behalf of GB News, or its largest investor, hedge fund founder Paul Marshall, who is bidding to buy the Telegraph papers, for two years from the date he stepped down as prime minister.
GB News bosses hope Mr Johnson’s arrival will allow the channel to reinvent itself as a digital-first proposition.
The hiring comes after GB News sacked presenters Laurence Fox and Calvin Robinson following Fox’s on-air comments about a female journalist. Fellow host Dan Wootton remains suspended.
GB News has been the fastest-growing national news website in the UK for six consecutive months with an audience of 6.2 million for its online clips and articles, according to Press Gazette figures.
The plan for Mr Johnson includes a roving role as a pundit during the forthcoming UK general election.
His views on a successor to Rishi Sunak as Conservative leader, should the party lose, will carry weight with many grassroots members.
“Imagine Boris grilling candidates to become leader of opposition after a Tory election defeat at a GB News hustings,” the insider said.
GB News will be expected to put in place a strong production team to manage Mr Johnson’s tendency towards disorganisation.
Mr Portillo said Mr Johnson was “not inarticulate” and would be a “hugely entertaining” TV personality – if he learned to follow instructions in his earpiece from studio directors.
As he is no longer an MP, Mr Johnson is not required to declare his fee. It is believed to be greater than the £350,000 than former Cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg was paid for his nightly show.
Comedian and actor John Cleese, another big-name GB News signing, has begun presenting a 10-part current affairs series on Sunday nights. He said he “can hardly believe” the channel’s decision to hire “serial liar” Mr Johnson. The Fawlty Towers star has been given the freedom to express his personal views whilst appearing on the channel.
There are currently 12 Ofcom investigations into GB News, with the body considering toughening its rules on whether politicians should be allowed to host news programmes.
