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Nigel Farage is set to return as a presenter for UK broadcaster GB News, according to the outlet, after securing a place in parliament last week.
Reform UK’s leader will host a show under his name on the lossmaking channel, which is co-owned by hedge fund boss Paul Marshal, GB News said.
Farage’s future at the right-leaning channel had been an open question given his new responsibilities as both the official leader of his populist party and a serving MP.
He had previously hosted a show daily from Monday to Thursday, but stepped down when the UK general election was called in May to campaign.
GB News’s use of politicians as presenters has drawn censure from Ofcom. The media regulator has repeatedly found that the channel has breached rules on impartiality, which prevent politicians acting as news presenters but allow them to present current affairs or chat shows.
Farage’s show will be revamped to more closely resemble the panel show format broadcast by former Conservative MP Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, who lost his seat last week, a person close to the channel said.
Farage did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
GB News is expected by analysts to have a boost given the surge in popularity of Reform, which picked up five seats, more than 4mn votes and tens of thousands of members in the recent elections.
The Financial Times revealed last year the channel had given a small amount of shares to Farage alongside other top presenters.
As well as Farage, the channel will continue to run a show hosted by fellow MP Lee Anderson, meaning that two-fifths of Reform’s parliamentary party will be presenting shows on the station.
Ofcom has investigated GB News 21 times since it launched in 2021, finding that it broke the rules a dozen times. There are still seven open investigations into GB News, including about a show presented by Farage in January.
GB News has said that Ofcom’s decisions were “a chilling development for all broadcasters, for freedom of speech, and for everyone in the United Kingdom”.
Farage previously said he would continue to lead Reform into the next general election and is building a “mass movement” to reshape the rightwing of British politics.
But tensions have already emerged after Farage ousted deputy leader Ben Habib from his post on Thursday and replaced him with former party chair Richard Tice, newly elected MP for Boston and Skegness.
Habib said he was considering his position within the party more generally after the decision was announced. “I have long held concerns about the control of the party and the decision making processes,” he posted on X. “I will reflect on all this.”
Habib, a property developer, had previously raised doubts about the party’s structure, which excluded members from decision making processes and vested control in the executive. Farage pledged last week to democratise the party by enabling members to vote for branch chairs.
