Alan Jones to make ‘major announcement’ about his future amid politics rumours

Former Sky News shock jock Alan Jones is set to make a “major” announcement about his future amid rumours he’s considering a run for federal politics.

Alan Jones is set to make a “major” announcement about his career on Friday, amid rumours he’s considering a run for federal politics or a return to Australia’s news landscape.

The controversial broadcaster exited Sky News Australia in November, after the network cancelled his weekday show from its line-up.

The 80-year-old accused Sky of “cancelling” his conservative views – and has turned to livestreaming direct to his 165,000 Facebook followers.

Jones will hold a press conference on Friday at Sydney’s Hilton Hotel to reveal his next move, the Daily Mail reports.

The announcement follows increased speculation he is being encouraged by former Prime Minister Tony Abbott to run for the federal seat of Warringah in next year’s election.

Alan Jones is set to make a “major” announcement about his career on Friday.

Jones, who has been on radio since 1985, could run as a “Liberal-backed independent” to draw on the support of conservative volunteers and his “radio army”, a senior party source told The Daily Telegraph.

One NSW Liberal source said Jones had been repeatedly asked to consider a political career, and offered “nearly everything” from a NSW Upper House seat to the Senate.

At a lunch held in his honour in Parliament House last Friday, Jones laughed off the question when he was asked again if he’d throw his hat in the ring.

The federal seat, in Sydney’s northern beaches, is the same one that Mr Abbott is also pushing ex-NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian to run for.

Despite the corruption cloud over Ms Berejiklian’s exit from the top job, Mr Abbott told the Sydney Morning Herald he’d like to see her remain in public life.

Former NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian. Picture: NCA Newswire/Gaye Gerard

“Gladys did a fine job as premier and was by far the best of them at resisting virus panic and calls for lockdowns,” he said on Monday.

“We certainly need more people in Canberra with an instinct for freedom and a feel for small business and it would be good to keep Gladys in our public life.”

It’s understood some Liberals now believe Ms Berejiklian is their only chance at winning Warringah back.

While Prime Minister Scott Morrison declared the former premier had “suffered terribly”, he said today he suspected she ultimately “may choose not to go ahead here”.

“I don’t find it surprising at all that if you had someone of Gladys Berejiklian’s calibre wishing to go forward, that I in any way wouldn’t be anything other than welcoming of that,” Mr Morrison said.

“But if she doesn’t wish to, I equally respect that decision … I can totally respect that if she didn’t want to go ahead, then that would be totally her choice about what she wants to do and the contribution she wants to make going forward.”

Former prime minister Tony Abbott has reportedly pushed both Gladys Berejiklian and Alan Jones to run in the seat of Warringah. Picture: AAP Image/POOL/Mick Tsikasvia

When Jones announced in a lengthy Facebook statement that Sky News would not be renewing his contract, Pauline Hanson swiftly offered him a job, writing: “Please stand for the Senate in NSW under the banner of One Nation.”

Jones also declared in the statement he was more engaging than other Sky hosts, but “in recent times my material hasn’t been widely published on these sites as the company has felt under threat from being cancelled”.

“I am only offering all of this because, for most of my professional life, I have never defended myself against criticisms of my performance,” he added.

“I merely let the figures speak for themselves, as they did in radio and, as I think you can see from above, they have, in my brief stint on television.

“May I say, I have enjoyed my experience thoroughly.”