The unexpected reshuffle saw Ben Leo step in for Patrick in for the evening broadcast. It comes amid a wave of changes at the channel that has seen major presenters axed from their roles. Presenter Patrick, who is from Cheshire, took to X on Thursday afternoon explaining that he needed to travel up north due to other commitments and therefore couldn’t film his show.

In a message to his followers, he said: “Hi everyone, just a little note from me to say unfortunately I won’t be hosting 9-11pm @GBNEWS tonight – I’ve had to nip back up north to help out with something. I think the great Ben Leo is covering so please do tune in, he’ll have a brilliant show for you. See you tomorrow!”

The announcement came amidst a significant reshuffle at GB News, which saw Breakfast host Isabel Webster and Mark Dolan leave their roles while MP Jacob Rees-Mogg faced reduced airtime. Eamonn Holmes’ co-host Isabel is set to be replaced. The 41-year-old, who previously worked for Sky and the BBC, had been a part of the breakfast show since it launched in 2022.

Just weeks ago Isabel and Eamonn, who are close pals off-screen and previously hosted Sky News breakfast show Sunrise together, were celebrating winning ‘best news programme’ at the TRIC Awards. Ellie Costello will now take over presenting duties during the working week, which will come into force in January. Comedian and former Balls of Steel host Mark Dolan announced that he had suddenly been dropped from the network. The former Channel 4 star shared the news on X in two cryptic posts.

In his first post he wrote: “SOME NEWS. I’ve hosted my last MARK DOLAN TONIGHT on GB News. More to follow…” The 50-year-old then followed up an hour later, and shared: “STATEMENT. GB News have made the decision to permanently relieve me of my duties at the channel. I will speak publicly about this in due course.”

Political commentator and pollster Professor Matthew Goodwin will join GB News as a permanent presenter in 2025, presenting State of the Nation on a Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights. Jacob Rees Mogg will continue to host the show on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Comedian Josh Howie, a regular host on GB News’ late night news-review show, Headliners, will become the new presenter of Free Speech Nation on Sunday evenings between 7-9pm. Andrew Doyle will continue as a contributor to the channel. Ben Briscoe, Head Of Programming and Talent on GB News, said: “2024 has been a truly fantastic year for us.

“Not only are we regularly beating the other established news channels, but we are also making inroads against the big public service broadcaster terrestrial channels. Our initiatives will allow us to build on this success with a renewed focus and ambition.”