GB News criticises ‘demonstrably untrue’ Question Time remarks – and everyone had the same response

Embattled news channel GB News has had to issue another statement on social media this week after its former presenter and chairman Andrew Neil made several comments about them during Question Time on Thursday.

The ex-BBC News journalist took a break from hosting his GB News on 24th June, just weeks after he launched the channel on 13th June. He was reported to be making a return earlier this month but announced he had resigned from GB News on Monday.

Explaining the reasons behind his departure on the BBC’s flagship political debate programme, Neil said: “In the run-up to the launch, through the launch and in the aftermath of the launch … more and more differences emerged between myself and the other senior managers and the board of GB News.

“Rather than these differences narrowing, they got wider and wider, and I felt it was best that if that’s the route they wanted to take, then that’s up to them.

“I thought it wasn’t for me. I had wanted a different route, doesn’t mean I’m right, they’re wrong, but it certainly was a difference.”

Asked by host Fiona Bruce if he felt that the channel was going too far to the right of the political spectrum, Neil replied that “people should make up their own minds on that”, adding that the direction they were going in “was not the direction I had outlined” or “envisaged for the channel”.

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“I was a minority of one,” he said.

Comments about the channel appeared to frustrate the team behind GB News, who on Friday said “a number of demonstrably untrue remarks” were made during the programme.

“We stand for fair debate, tolerance, free speech and factual journalism. There are always more than two sides to any story and we believe in listening to all of them.

“We look forward to welcoming Andrew Neil back on GB News on Monday for his regular appearance,” they said.

Except, the statement has been met with ridicule online, as many reminded the channel that they previously condemned one of its presenters, Guto Harri, for taking the knee on air:

Doesn’t sound very tolerant to us, folks.