Behind the scenes of Andrew Neil’s departure from GB News

Sources say presenter was in legal battle with rightwing channel's bosses over his 700,000-a-year contract

When Andrew Neil took a leave of absence from GB News a fortnight after its 13 June launch, the rightwing news channel and its star presenter spent weeks insisting he was taking a long break to recharge [his] batteries".

The reality, sources have told the Guardian, is that rather than merely being on holiday Neil was locked in an increasingly fierce legal battle with the channel's bosses from mid-July, with the station in turmoil as their lead presenter attempted to renegotiate and then exit a four-year contract believed to worth about 700,000 a year.