European-News

Boris Johnson to join right-wing broadcaster GB News

LONDON — Boris Johnson is coming to a screen near you.

The former British prime minister is joining GB News, the right-wing broadcaster, as a presenter in the new year, the channel announced Friday.

Johnson will create and present “a new series showcasing the power of Britain around the world,” according to GB News.

The broadcaster — which sits to the right in British politics but has to abide by regulator Ofcom’s impartiality rules — already has former Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage and a number of Tory MPs, including Jacob Rees-Mogg and Lee Anderson, in its presenter roster.

As well as producing documentaries for the channel, Johnson will host the “occasional special in front of live audiences,” the broadcaster said.

In a video announcing his new job, Johnson said he would be giving his “unvarnished views on everything from Russia, China, the war in Ukraine — how we meet all of those challenges, to the huge opportunities that lie ahead for us.”

“I’m delighted to say, GB News has got Boris ‘done’!” GB News Editorial Director Michael Booker said, a reference to the phrase “Get Brexit done,’ which was often used by Johnson and his Tory colleagues.

Farage, soon to be a colleague of Johnson’s at the channel, said the ex-PM would be a “joyful” addition.

“Boris is always highly entertaining, whether he’s writing or speaking. Sometimes he loses concentration and that makes it even funnier,” Farage told Sky News.

Since leaving Downing Street last year, Johnson has already landed himself a “six-figure” gig writing a column for the Daily Mail newspaper.

While he has occasionally used his weekly column to take pot-shots at current PM Rishi Sunak — who helped to oust Johnson from office — other articles since he took up the pen in June have focused on subjects such as the need to protect newts, the Barbie movie, and the time his dog Dilyn killed a goose belonging to Queen Elizabeth II.

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