GB News presenter Guto Harri has quit his job after he was suspended for taking the knee live on air last week.
According to reports, Harri confirmed his decision to leave the new channel on Sunday.
After taking the knee during his show on July 13, GB News tweeted “On Tuesday a contributing presenter took the knee live on air and this was an unacceptable breach of our standards.”
On Friday, incoming presenter and former Ukip leader Nigel Farage said he “will not be taking the knee for anyone” on his new show.
BBC Wales claims to have seen Harri’s resignation letter in which he reportedly asked the organisation to “please explain how that [Farage’s stance] does not breach editorial standards but I did”.
(Image: GB News)
Writing in The Sunday Times, Harri noted how when he had joined the new channel he “liked and trusted those in charge and supported the broad vision”.
However, he claimed that GB News was “rapidly becoming an absurd parody of what it proclaimed to be”.
He said he had discussed taking the knee with colleagues and superiors prior to doing so on-air and was not asked to refrain from doing it.
(Image: GB News)
“GB News captured the moment and proudly cascaded it through social media,” he wrote.
“Watch five minutes of the channel and you’ll see how presenters are encouraged to speak freely, confront sensitive subjects, engage in difficult debates and make a case.
“However, what followed was a tsunami of disappointment, resentment and hate. Old friends were amused to see me described as woke and Marxist. By Thursday night, the boss called and I’d been taken off air for the summer.”
Harri added: “Whatever nerdy academics tell you about Black Lives Matter associations, taking the knee is now a simple, bold statement that you reject racism. And if that’s an issue for a channel or government, it’s a big problem for all of us.”
His decision to quit comes just days after it was reported that GB News director of programming John McAndrew had also stepped down from his role.
(Image: Western Mail)
The Guardian claimed McAndrew decided to quit after coming under pressure to favour ‘culture war’ topics.
He was said to have been asked to “dial down” the focus on local reporting.
GB News chairman Andrew Neil has also spoken out in recent days following the controversy surrounding Harri.
Attempting to calm the storm, he posted on Twitter : “Start ups are fraught and fractious. @GBNEWS is no exception. But the news channel is finding its feet and has a great future. Watch this space.”
He has insisted that the channel’s future remains bright, despite the fact that its viewing figures have been falling since its launch month.