Controversial former counter-extremism activist Maajid Nawaz has joined GB News as a presenter and commentator, declaring that “Islamists” and religious conservatives are “on notice” as he prepares to launch his own online show.
The former LBC presenter announced his appointment during an appearance alongside GB News host Michelle Dewberry, revealing that he had signed a deal to present a YouTube programme, contribute to the television channel at least twice a week and write a regular column.
Nawaz, who has spent years as a divisive figure within Britain’s Muslim community because of his involvement in the Quilliam Foundation, will also help revamp GB News’s online presence.
Announcing the news, he thanked viewers for campaigning for his return to mainstream broadcasting.
“There’s been a huge online pressure for this news to actually occur,” he said. “I’m happy to say that news has happened. As of today, I am officially signed to GB News as a host of a new show.”
He added that he would have a contributor role on the broadcaster’s television platforms and declared: “I’m now part of the family, Michelle.”
However, Nawaz’s appointment has also sparked confrontations on X, where he has been exchanging heated messages with Muslims critical of his new role.
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‘You are on notice. We are coming’
In a series of posts shared following his appointment, Nawaz appeared to relish the prospect of using his new platform to confront those he regards as ideological opponents.
Addressing critics he described as Islamist apologists, he wrote: “You Islamist apologists are all on notice. We are coming.”
In another post, he declared: “You Islamists and religious reactionaries are not gonna do shit. It is time you are all getting exposed. You are on notice. We are coming.”
Nawaz has also drawn attention to the fact that his new programme will be broadcast online rather than as a conventional television show, explicitly referring to Ofcom’s regulatory remit.
“We are already one step ahead. My show will be for GB News online platform. This is the best of both worlds as Ofcom has no mandate there,” he wrote.
His comments suggest that he sees the online format as offering greater editorial freedom than television broadcasting, which is subject to Ofcom’s Broadcasting Code.
The remarks are particularly noteworthy given that GB News has previously faced Ofcom investigations and findings of breaches of broadcasting standards, including over political presenters delivering news.
A controversial history with British Muslims
Nawaz’s appointment is particularly contentious because of his longstanding role in Britain’s counter-extremism industry and his record of confronting Muslim organisations and activists during the War on Terror.
Born in Southend-on-Sea in 1977, Nawaz joined Hizb ut-Tahrir as a teenager and became one of its prominent activists.
He was arrested in Egypt in 2002 because of his political activities and spent approximately four years in prison under Hosni Mubarak’s regime. Amnesty International adopted him as a prisoner of conscience, and he was eventually released in 2006.
Following his return to Britain, Nawaz renounced his former “Islamist” ideology and established the Quilliam Foundation in 2008 alongside Ed Husain.
Quilliam presented itself as a counter-extremism organisation seeking to challenge “Islamist” ideology and promote liberal democratic values.
However, it became deeply unpopular among sections of Britain’s Muslim community, particularly because of its approach towards mainstream Muslim organisations, political activists and mosques.
In 2010, The Guardian revealed that Quilliam had submitted a confidential briefing to senior government counter-terrorism officials identifying numerous peaceful Muslim organisations as sympathetic to Islamist ideology.
The organisations named included the Muslim Council of Britain, Muslim Association of Britain, Islamic Human Rights Commission, East London Mosque, Birmingham Central Mosque and Islam Channel.
Critics accused Quilliam of attempting to discredit legitimate Muslim organisations and undermining relations between the government and Muslim communities.
The controversy erupted at a time when British Muslims were already facing intense scrutiny under counter-terrorism policies, particularly the Prevent programme.
Quilliam defended its approach, arguing that challenging non-violent Islamist ideology was necessary to address the ideological roots of terrorism.
The organisation, which received substantial government funding, eventually closed in 2021.
‘A marriage made in heaven – or somewhere else’
5Pillars editor Roshan Muhammed Salih strongly criticised Nawaz’s appointment, arguing that it brought together two deeply controversial forces in British media.
In his assessment, Nawaz had spent years undermining legitimate Muslim organisations at a time when the community was already facing unprecedented political pressure.
Salih said: “Maajid Nawaz is probably one of the most disliked figures in the British Muslim community over the last couple of decades. This is because he targeted completely legitimate, genuine and sincere Muslim organisations and individuals at a time when the community was in the crosshairs of the government during the War on Terror years.
“And now he’s joined probably Britain’s most Islamophobic channel, which targets Islam, Muslims and migrants on a virtually daily basis. It seems like a marriage made in heaven – or somewhere else.”
From LBC controversy to GB News comeback
Nawaz became a familiar figure in mainstream British media during the 2010s, appearing regularly on television and radio to discuss extremism, Islam, integration and foreign affairs.
He also stood unsuccessfully as a Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate in Hampstead and Kilburn in the 2015 general election.
In 2016, he began presenting weekend programmes on LBC, where he developed a reputation for outspoken political commentary.
However, his relationship with the station deteriorated amid controversy over his views on COVID-19 vaccination policies and other political issues.
In January 2022, LBC announced that Nawaz would no longer present programmes for the station with immediate effect.
The broadcaster did not publicly confirm the precise reasons for his departure, although it followed criticism of his commentary during the pandemic.
Nawaz subsequently developed his independent online media presence and continued appearing as a guest commentator, including on GB News, but remained outside regular mainstream broadcasting roles for almost five years.
GB News accused of systematic anti-Muslim bias
GB News has itself faced sustained criticism over its coverage of Islam, Muslims and immigration, with independent research documenting extensive negative portrayals of Muslim communities.
In December 2024, the Centre for Media Monitoring (CfMM) published a major report entitled GB News: A Snapshot of Anti-Muslim Hate.
The study examined two years of broadcasting and found that GB News had mentioned Muslims or Islam more than 17,000 times, accounting for almost half of all such references across the UK news channels examined.
It also found that GB News accounted for 62% of clips linking Muslims to the summer 2024 riots across the channels studied.
Researchers accused the broadcaster of disproportionately focusing on Muslims, promoting negative stereotypes and failing to adequately challenge anti-Muslim rhetoric.
The report concluded that the channel’s coverage demonstrated structural and systematic bias against British Muslims.
GB News rejected the report’s conclusions, describing the findings as defamatory and arguing that the research represented an attempt to restrict freedom of expression.
Further research published by CfMM in March 2026 reinforced concerns about the broadcaster.
Its State of British Media 2025 report examined 40,913 articles across 30 major UK news outlets and identified GB News among those displaying the most persistent anti-Muslim bias.
The study found that 39% of GB News articles examined contained sweeping generalisations about Muslims, the highest proportion among the outlets assessed.
