Former first minister of Northern Ireland Arlene Foster joins GB News

Ex-DUP leader seeks to bring NI ‘into the mainstream’ by joining conservative station

The former first minister of Northern Ireland Arlene Foster has joined GB News although it is unclear how often she intends to appear on the channel. Video: GB News

The North's former first minister Arlene Foster has joined British conservative television station GB News.

Appearing on the broadcaster’s Political Correction show on Sunday, co-hosted by former Ukip leader Nigel Farage, Ms Foster said she was “very excited to be here with such an august number of people”.

The former DUP leader, who remains an MLA for Fermanagh and South Tyrone, said she would be contributing to the station for two reasons. “First of all, I see it as an opportunity to have space for civilised discussion in a meaningful way,” she said.

“Very often political programmes are very short and snappy and there is not an opportunity to develop stories .

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"The second reason is to bring Northern Ireland very much into the mainstream of UK politics.

“It is something I feel very passionate about . . . so that is the opportunity here in GB news and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Last week, Mr Farage announced he was joining the recently-launched station, which has been beset with poor audience ratings and a racism row after broadcaster Guto Harri resigned in a fall-out over his taking the knee during a discussion about abuse of England’s black footballers.

On joining the station, Mr Farage accused the British media of taking “the same centre-left, liberal, woke, pro-cancel view on virtually everything” and declared GB news would be “unashamedly a patriotic television station”.