Why Piers Morgan left Good Morning Britain

There is a culture war going on, and Piers Morgan's job on Good Morning Britain has fallen victim to it.

That's different from saying Morgan himself is a victim of it; in some ways he has been a beneficiary.

But when the public position of a star presenter and a broadcaster's CEO are in sharp contrast, about such a sensitive subject, at a time of such heightened tensions, something has to give.

Tonight, it did.

This morning Carolyn McCall made it very clear that she believed Meghan Markle's central claim about her mental health. She went further: ITV takes mental health very seriously.

It follows that the company must have expected Morgan to recant publicly, or apologise. He is unlikely to have been willing to do that. Therefore this was the moment to leave GMB.

The vital context here is that he has come close to doing so before. Morgan has had very lucrative offers from other broadcasters in recent years, found the very early starts gruelling, and doesn't need the money. He has big earnings from owning the rights to some of his formats that are broadcast in the US, and has been on a seven-figure salary for the Daily Mail group, where he writes several columns.

So he has been tempted to leave for a while.

Editorially, his time at Good Morning Britain saw significant ratings growth. But this story about Meghan Markle and Prince Harry has turned the culture war dial to max, as his walkout on the show today confirmed.

Ultimately, the contrast between ITV's corporate position and the personal views of their morning star has created a conflict that could not be resolved.

I suspect it will continue elsewhere. If only there were an opinion and personality led news network launching in the UK soon, which shared his antipathy towards "woke" culture, and was chaired by a friend of his. Or a video-on-demand service from News UK, where the boss is his old friend and colleague, and her boss - Rupert Murdoch - is a huge admirer of his.

GB News is the more likely. The question is whether GB News needs Piers Morgan more than Piers Morgan needs GB News: That is, how much would they pay? He would be an asset to this station's launch. But he may fancy a long stay on a Caribbean hilltop.

It's been a while since he published any diaries.

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