Peter Mandelson tells Christopher Hope on GB News:

“Oh I want GB News to keep going! They’re stirring the pot, they’re creating divisions within the Conservative Party, they’re undoing the Conservative Party, and very very timely it is too!”

Guido hears work on GB News‘ swanky new Westminster studio is pressing ahead, with select programming set to air from the QEII centre next month. The sets are being built in stages, so the whole thing won’t be ready to go right away. They are actually building three distinct studios: one will be for quick, down-the-line interviews, another will be a heavily-branded GB News set, and a third will be a more “generic” area. The down-the-line set will be finished first.

New hire Erron Gordon, formerly of Rupert Murdoch’s parish, will be in charge of the studio’s identity and branding. He’ll also be refreshing the existing Paddington set, with new graphics and music introduced incrementally over the coming months. Just in time for the arrival of their new Political Editor. Chopper must be measuring up his desk already…

Telegraph Associate Editor and podcasting extraordinaire Christopher Hope is leaving the paper after 20 years to become the new Head of Politics and Political Editor at GB News. Guido was the first to pick up on the rumours of Chopper’s departure last month, and this morning he confirmed he’ll be making the move to broadcast later in the year:

“For me, the most exciting thing about joining GB News is the opportunity to bring politics to audiences who feel they’ve been poorly served by media in the past.

The next general election will be decided in the Red Wall, in the exact areas of the north where GB News has won some of the strongest audiences in news broadcasting. It’s a vital constituency offering a compelling motive to cover politics differently.”

A big boost for the channel – congratulations Chopper…

The currently invisible on the channel Darren McCaffrey’s impending departure from GB News means the plum political editor’s job is up for grabs. Speculation is already rife over who will take over the leading role at the UK’s second-biggest dedicated news channel…

• Christopher Hope – Currently Associate Editor (Politics) at The Telegraph. A stalwart of the Lobby and podcaster extraordinaire, surely useful given GB News’ ambitions for their radio station. Chopper’s name is already doing the rounds in the GB Newsroom and would give the insurgent station a big boost. Has notably increased his appearances on the channel recently, even standing in for Andrew Doyle and presenting a full show.
• Tom Harwood – Political correspondent at GB News. Has been at the channel since its launch, has impeccable contacts, knows a story and has concerning levels of energy that would come in handy during the next general election. Might have to sacrifice his love of delivering early morning free market polemics on wonk issues to make time for more mainstream content, though. Shame.
• Camilla Tominey –  Another Telegraph bigwig, currently serving as their Associate Editor and columnist. Has presented the GB News Sunday morning offering for nearly a month now, and in Guido’s opinion is already on a par with Sophy Ridge and Laura Kuenssberg in terms of interview quality.
• Angus Walker – Former ITN political correspondent and Gavin Williamson SpAd. Good broadcaster and Tory-adjacent.
• Gloria de Piero – Former Labour MP with relatively sound Red Wall credentials. Her appointment would surely be a sign the channel is laying the ground for a prolonged period of Labour government. She has a long history of broadcasting, including the BBC and seven years at GMTV, during which time she was the political editor. Has already produced a series of very good interviews with top-level politicians for the channel.
• Kate McCann – Political editor at TalkTV. A very similar job opportunity to the one she’s currently doing, albeit with a guaranteed higher viewership.
• Dehenna Davison MP – Currently Tory MP for Bishop Auckland, though she took SW1 by surprise when announcing she’d be standing down at the next election. Has already presented a show on the channel, and has proved she’s more than willing to be a thorn in the side of the Tory government.
• Matt Chorley – The top choice for all those TimesRadio listeners who feel continually disappointed they only get to hear his lilting tones rather than see the face they’re coming from. Could even appear on the channel’s humorous paper review show to nick some jokes for his next ‘stand up’ tour.

Good luck…