Rupert Murdoch is allegedly gearing up for a return to the UK news market with a new channel called 'GB News'.

The Aussie businessman, 89, has been a key figure of the UK media landscape for the last five decades, owning properties including The Sun, The Times, News of the World and BSkyB.

Murdoch launched Sky News in the UK in 1989 and the right-leaning US network FOX News in 1996, selling the former as part of Comcast's takeover of Sky in 2018.

According to Kelvin MacKenzie, former editor of The Sun, Murdoch has teamed up with Discovery to launch a new channel tentatively called 'GB News' with a £20 million backing "in the New Year".

In the post on Twitter, MacKenzie claimed that Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage and respected political interviewer Andrew Neil - former editor of The Sunday Times - are "due to sign" to be part of GB News, which would aim to take on Sky News.