ANDREW Neil has resigned as chairman and as the flagship presenter of GB News following a lengthy break from the channel.
The veteran broadcaster has not appeared on the channel since he announced a "break" from his politics show just two weeks after the channel launched.
Neil will however return to the channel as a commentator twice a week with his first appearance planned for this evening on Nigel Farage's show.
A statement from the GB News board read: "Andrew said he is sorry to leave but that after reflection during the summer he feels it’s time to reduce his many commitments.
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"I know many of you will feel incredibly disappointed by this, as I do. Andrew joined GB News 12 months ago and signed a multi-year contract so we hoped he’d stay longer.
"Andrew shared our vision for GB News. He knew instinctively that many Brits, especially beyond London, were crying out for a trusted, accurate news channel that stands for tolerance, diversity, free speech, and fair debate.
"That mission, enshrined in our Editorial Charter, has not changed and never will."
It’s official: I have resigned as Chairman and Lead Presenter of GB News.
— Andrew Neil (@afneil) September 13, 2021
Neil presented just eight editions of his flagship show at GB News but was said to be deeply frustrated with the launch of the channel that was mired in technical glitches and errors.
It is understood that the increasingly populist agenda of GB News is splitting opinions in the newsroom and some who work there are looking to follow Neil out the door, according to The Times.
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Three senior producers quit within days of each other last week including Jamie McConkey, who produced Neil's show.
Sources told The Times that Simon McCoy, a former BBC News anchor, had voiced a desire to leave the channel but he has not yet resigned. McCoy's breakfast co-host Kirsty Gallacher is also said to have grown frustrated.
The channel's director of news and programmes, John McAndrew, also resigned in July.
Sources told The Times that chief executive Angelos Frangopoulos had clashed with Neil and become more involved in editorial matters. Frangopoulos is looking to take the channel in the direction of the US's Fox News.
The channel's ratings continue to be a concern with Farage's show dropping half its viewership within the first few weeks.
There are now understood to be two camps within GB News: those who count themselves as traditional news journalists and a growing roster of populist commentators who are taking it into the direction of Fox News.
More sensationalist voices are set to join the roster of commentators, including former Brexit Party politicians Ann Widdecombe and Martin Daubney.
READ MORE: Arlene Foster joins Nigel Farage as political pundit on GB News
“The idea that we aren’t Fox News is increasingly laughable,” a source told The Times.
GB News has been beset with technical problems and broadcasting errors since it launched in June and has not been the major disruptor to the industry for which it was touted.
There were significant audio issues at the channel's launch that persisted for days along with spelling mistakes in graphics that have been reported as recently as the launch of Tom Harwood's new show today which saw his name spelt "Tom Hardwood".
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