The question of what Boris Johnson might do after leaving Parliament has been answered, for now, with the former prime minister signing a deal to join fellow Tories as a GB News presenter.
The right-wing television network announced on Friday that, less than 18 months after leaving No 10, Johnson will now call the studio his office when he starts presenting.
Since it launched in 2021, the network has acquired a number of current and former members of the Conservative party.
Johnson was forced out as prime minister in July 2022, in the wake of the Partygate scandal and other controversies. After mooting a run for a second term after the departure of Liz Truss, Johnson briefly returned to the backbenches before leaving Parliament completely earlier this year.
Johnson has been a columnist for the Mail after leaving politics but any rumour that he might be eyeing up an immediate return to the frontline has been, at least for now, quenched by this GB News announcement.
I’m very much looking forward to joining GB News https://t.co/D3bXVDlDss
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) October 27, 2023
He said: “I’m going to be giving this remarkable new TV channel my unvarnished views on Russia, China, the war in Ukraine, how we meet all those challenges.”
He added that he will argue why “our best days are yet to come” and why the “people of the world” want to see more of Britain.
Hosting shows on GB News is becoming a rite of passage for outspoken Tories. His staunch supporter, Nadine Dorries, meanwhile, has her own show on another right-wing channel, TalkTV.
Which other Tory MPs are on GB News?
Lee Anderson
Lee Anderson’s Real World is presented by the scandal and controversy-hit MP every Friday at 7pm. He is usually seen interviewing commentators about the events of the week.
Jacob Rees-Mogg
Meanwhile, Jacob Rees-Mogg presents The State of the Nation at the same time on every other weekday – with a similar kind of format.
Esther McVey and Philip Davies
Esther McVey and Philip Davies are husband and wife but also both Tory MPs who have a third thing in common – presenting a GB News show on Friday and Saturday mornings. The pair was last month found to have broken Ofcom rules when they interviewed Jeremy Hunt before his spring budget and “did not represent widespread views”.
Michael Portillo
Michael Portillo, a Tory minister in the Major years, is also a presenter – although has spoken out against Boris Johnson in the past. He presents a culture show on Sundays.
Other famous faces
Nigel Farage is technically a former Tory but is better known for his association with UKIP and, more recently, the Reform Party. His weeknight show is called, simply, Farage.
The GB News stable also includes former Labour MP Gloria De Piero, who is incidentally a previous representative of Ashfield – the constituency now held by Anderson.
Then there is Arlene Foster, the former DUP leader and Northern Ireland first secretary.
When is Boris Johnson’s show starting?
It has not been announced when Johnson’s show will be on air and what time slot he might be given.
