Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Image AFP
In a video, Johnson promises to play ‘a key role’ in the elections to be held next year in both the United States and the United Kingdom. The 59-year-old will also provide ‘candid’ commentary on other events in his show, from wars to geopolitical developments.
Johnson promises to promote the British nation in passing. “I will be talking about the great opportunities for Global Britain,” he said in a statement. ‘And also about the challenges, and why the best days are yet to come.’
The former prime minister already puts his world view on paper as a columnist for The Daily Mail. Before becoming Prime Minister, Johnson was for decades the celebrated columnist for The Daily Telegraph, a quality Conservative newspaper.
With his weekly column on Mondays he enjoyed a great deal of influence on the political debate, including on British relations with the European Union. It also contributed to his name recognition. Johnson was also for many years the editor-in-chief of The Spectator, the opinion weekly of conservative England.
Partygate
Journalism prepared the way for his premiership. Under his leadership, the Conservative Party won the national elections at the end of 2019. He ‘completed’ Brexit, but Johnson’s stay on Downing Street came to a premature end a year and a half ago.
The revelation that there had been a lot of drinking in the official residence under his laconic leadership during the corona lockdown caused him irreparable damage. After the fall of his successor Liz Truss, the charismatic politician tried to return as prime minister, but that turned out to be unrealistic.
Johnson makes a lot of money writing his memoirs and giving lectures, but finds it difficult to live outside the spotlight.
He will encounter many old acquaintances at GB News, founded in 2021. His good friend Jacob Rees-Mogg, former Secretary of State for Brexit Benefits, has his own talk show, as does Nigel Farage, the great Brexit influencer. Even the deputy chairman of the Conservative Party, Lee Anderson, has his own show, entitled Lee Anderson’s Real World.
Media watchdog
This means that GB News, which is sometimes seen as the British version of Fox News, is emphatically becoming a conservative channel. British ministers are increasingly avoiding established channels such as BBC, ITV and Sky to be interviewed on GB News.
This could cause problems with the media watchdog Ofcom, because as a recipient of taxpayers’ money, GB News must maintain neutrality. Rees-Mogg tries to do this by regularly inviting progressive guests, such as environmental activists. Ratings cannon Johnson will arouse the interest of the regulator. Ofcom’s television department has recently been led by a former top executive of Sky News, the commercial broadcaster that is increasingly experiencing competition from GB News.
Last month, GB News was controversial after controversial guest Laurence Fox made sexist comments about a female journalist during an interview. The former actor, who made a name for himself as an anti-woke activist, was then declared persona non grata by the channel. Interviewer Dan Wootton was suspended by the channel and lost his column in The Daily Mail.
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2023-10-28 15:28:36
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