Andrew Neil takes swipe at Piers Morgan and explains why he won't be on GB News

The chairman of GMB News, Andrew Neil, has opened up about why fellow journalist Piers Morgan won’t be a fixture on the show.

The channel launched yesterday after months of build-up and Piers, who recently left ITV after a furore with Meghan Markle, was expected to be one of its stars.

But Andrew, 72, joked with presenter Dan Wootton about why the controversial broadcaster would not even be a choice of guest on the 24-hour rolling news service.

At the start of his segment, Dan explained: “At 10 pm, we are launching a special segment called The Big Question.

“That is where viewers will be able to share their views with the United Kingdom every night.”

He went on: “We have a big name guest as well, we’re kicking off with Lord Alan Sugar tonight, we have The Who legend Roger Daltrey in tomorrow.

“This is a great opportunity, they don’t want to necessarily hear from us, they want to hear from our viewers.

“This is going to be a chance for them to get big names and grill them on the spot.”

Dan also discussed another segment called Uncancelled at 11 pm and said: “It will look at some of those controversial and thorny issues that lots of the mainstream broadcasters tend to shy away from.

“Columnists and commentators [will appear] who, I think, deserve a voice in the UK media and don’t have one at the moment.”

At that point, Andrew, who used to be the editor of The Sunday Times, quipped: “So that’s why Piers Morgan wouldn’t come on.”

He said that Piers’ “enemy” Alan Sugar will be on instead.

“That’s why you never see them in the same studio,” Neil continued to joke.

GB News will be made up of a host of well-known journalists, as well as some new faces to UK screens, alongside Kirsty Gallacher, Colin Brazier, Simon McCoy and Alastair Stewart.

Meanwhile, Andrew also launched the channel with a savage take-down of the metropolitan elite, cancel culture and the BBC.

Within minutes of the channel going live all over the country, Andrew made sure viewers knew exactly what the station stands for.

Speaking directly to the viewer at home, the broadcasting legend said: “It will not be a echo chamber for the metropolitan mindset.

“We are proud to be British – the clue is in the name.

“While we will never hold back hold back from covering our countries many flaws and problems, we will not come at every story with the conviction that Britain is always at fault, usually to blame when things go wrong. Generally useless.”

Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk