We want Labour MPs to host shows but they don’t say yes, says GB News boss

GB News would happily welcome Labour MPs as presenters but has been unable to convince them to say yes, the broadcaster’s boss has said.

Angelos Frangopoulos, chief executive of GB News, insisted it was “not by design” that the channel’s presenters were largely concentrated on the Right of politics.

He said: “We have been trying very hard to encourage members of other parties to come on board and present programmes.

“We would love to have a wide range of MPs on our channel in the same way that stations like LBC do… It’s an ongoing conversation, but it’s purely because we’ve yet to find someone to say yes.”

GB News has come under fierce scrutiny for its use of politicians as presenters, which has fuelled concerns about impartiality.

Regulator Ofcom last week said it had put the channel “on notice” after it breached broadcasting rules in five programmes hosted by serving Tory MPs.

The watchdog said the shows, presented by Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, Esther McVey and Philip Davies broke regulations that prevent politicians from delivering news bulletins.

GB News branded the decision “chilling” and accused Ofcom of trying to “extend” regulations.

But peers on the Lords Communications and Digital Committee grilled the broadcasting boss on the channel’s make-up of presenters, who also include former Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage and Lee Anderson, the former Tory MP who defected to Reform UK earlier this month.

Former Conservative MP Michael Portillo and Reform leader Richard Tice also regularly present shows on GB News. Gloria de Piero, a former Labour MP, is the channel’s only host with a background on the Left of politics.

Mr Frangopoulos said GB News had held discussions with other parties but had failed to drum up interest. He added that some MPs were being discouraged from taking second jobs.

Despite the accusations of bias, the GB News boss said his channel, which was launched in 2021 to take on established broadcasters such as the BBC and Sky News, had become the “voice of mainstream Britain”.

Mr Frangopoulos, who previously led Sky News Australia, said the channel was growing in popularity among expats thanks to its “unashamedly British” offering.

He said: “For media to exist on a global platform you have to be authentic, you have to stand for something, and we stand for Britain. And that gives us a unique place in global distribution.”

However, he acknowledged that the broadcaster was under “significant pressure” to create a viable business model amid a tough advertising backdrop.

GB News saw its losses balloon nearly 40pc last year to £42m even as it reported strong growth in audience numbers.

Mr Frangopoulos said the company was trying to diversify its revenues away from advertising, pointing to the recent launch of a paid membership scheme.

He said: “We’re very confident about the future of being self-sufficient financially, but we have a lot of work to do.”