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George Osborne appointed editor of London Evening Standard George Osborne appointed editor of London Evening Standard
(about 1 hour later)
George Osborne has been appointed as the new editor of the London Evening Standard, in a move that has astonished political commentators and media-watchers alike. George Osborne has been made the new editor of the London Evening Standard, in an appointment that has astonished politicians and media-watchers alike.
Evgeny Lebedev, the owner of the daily paper, announced the appointment on Twitter, saying he was “thrilled” at the news, and described the Cheshire MP as “London through and through”. Osborne, who has no significant journalistic experience, plans to continue as MP for Tatton. Evgeny Lebedev, the owner of the daily paper, announced the news on Twitter, saying he was “thrilled” and describing the Cheshire MP as “London through and through”. Osborne, who has no significant journalistic experience, intends to continue as MP for Tatton.
The former chancellor described his new job as a “huge honour”, adding that he was “proud to be a Conservative MP” but that as the paper’s editor, “our only interest will be to give a voice to all Londoners”.The former chancellor described his new job as a “huge honour”, adding that he was “proud to be a Conservative MP” but that as the paper’s editor, “our only interest will be to give a voice to all Londoners”.
He added: “We will be fearless as a paper fighting for their interests. We will judge what the government, London’s politicians and the political parties do against this simple test: is it good for our readers and good for London? If it is, we’ll support them. If it isn’t, we’ll be quick to say so. He added: “We will be fearless as a paper fighting for their interests. We will judge what the government, London’s politicians and the political parties do against this simple test: is it good for our readers and good for London? If it is, we’ll support them. If it isn’t, we’ll be quick to say so.”
“I was elected by my constituents in Tatton to serve them and I intend to fulfil that promise,” Osborne said, adding: “I remain passionate about the northern powerhouse and will continue to promote that cause. Right from the first speech I gave about the north of England, I’ve said that London needs a successful north and the north benefits from its links to a global city like London. It’s not a zero-sum game but quite the opposite.” But the news provoked criticism from Labour and some Conservatives, who said the job was incompatible with Osborne’s role as an MP. Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, described the appointment as “a joke” and “yet another example of the establishment revolving door, a closely knit clique who are holding back the British people … [it] is an insult to the electors he is supposed to serve. We are looking forward to an early byelection so the people of Tatton are properly served in parliament.”
Addressing staff at the paper shortly after noon on Friday, he said: “I may have run a country, but I’ve never run a newspaper.”
Politicians were amazed at the news. One Conservative minister said they were “unusually lost for words given everything else he is doing”. One Conservative MP said: “You can’t maintain your service to your constituents with a full-time job editing a newspaper. I’d be very surprised if his constituents will wear it.”
He joked that Osborne has “got a track record of getting high level jobs without the relevant experience”, adding: “But I’m sure his constituents will be interested to know how he is going to manage to continue to serve the people of Tatton.”
Meanwhile, the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, congratulated Osborne on his new job, tweeting:
Congratulations to @George_Osborne - the new editor of the @EveningStandard. Covering the world's greatest city #LondonIsOpen
But Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, tweeted that the news was “a joke”:
It's taking multitasking to an extreme level - what a joke https://t.co/m4a6GWwVnJIt's taking multitasking to an extreme level - what a joke https://t.co/m4a6GWwVnJ
And a Labour source added: “At least the Standard is now being honest about its political affiliation.” Nigel Adams, the Tory MP for Selby and Ainsty, said Osborne should consult his constituents over whether he could continue as an MP.
The Lib Dem leader, Tim Farron, echoed that concern. “Quite incredible news and an amazing coup for Lebedev. At least the paper should move to the left now,” he said. “What next, Corbyn becoming editor of the Morning star?” “It is one thing writing a column for a newspaper, it is another being its full-time editor,” he told the Guardian.
Downing Street was caught off guard by the announcement, which coincided with the morning briefing to reporters. “I’m unaware of it,” Theresa May’s spokesman said. “You’ll be able to tell that this is the first I’m hearing of this.” In his statement, Osborne said: “I was elected by my constituents in Tatton to serve them and I intend to fulfil that promise. I remain passionate about the northern powerhouse and will continue to promote that cause. Right from the first speech I gave about the north of England, I’ve said that London needs a successful north and the north benefits from its links to a global city like London. It’s not a zero-sum game but quite the opposite.”
Andy Burnham, the Labour candidate to become mayor of Greater Manchester, said that while he wished Osborne well “it is hard to see how he can continue as a north-west MP”. “Our region is entering a crucial period and we need all of its representatives to be completely focused on it,” he said. Addressing Standard staff shortly after noon on Friday, Osborne told them he would need their help: “I may have run a country, but I’ve never run a newspaper.”
One Conservative minister told the Guardian that Osborne’s editorship “could be the perfect platform to leave Westminster for City Hall” – pointing out that the next London mayoral election would coincide with the next general election, and Osborne’s prime ministerial hopes were diminishing. The appointment was greeted by staff with a mixture of “shock, incredulity and hilarity”, an insider said. “It’s slowly sinking in, the madness of it all, with some saying it may not be so mad after all.” Another said Osborne’s expectation that he could do the job and continue as an MP “just shows the contempt he has for the newspaper, that he thinks being an editor is a part-time basis, that’s the real scandal”. An executive at the paper described the appointment as “hilarious”.
Ryan Shorthouse, director of the Conservative thinktank Bright Blue, said Osborne should resign as an MP. “A free press, which holds power to account, is a fundamental part of a liberal democracy,” he said. “A sitting MP, especially of the governing party, cannot also be an editor of an influential and national newspaper. It is a significant conflict of interest and unethical.”
However, Patti Goddard, president of the Tatton Conservative Association, was supportive, saying: “It’s exciting that George has got this new big role in our public life. We in the Tatton Conservatives fully support him. He’s a hard-working constituency MP.
“In the last couple of weeks alone he’s being working with local schools on their concerns about the funding formula, and dealing with some tricky constituency cases. The fact he’s editing the Evening Standard in the weekday mornings won’t affect that at all – after all, being chancellor was a 24/7 job.”
The newspaper said its publication schedule “will enable Mr Osborne to edit the paper and continue to fulfil his other commitments, including as an MP; giving him the time to vote and contribute in parliament in the afternoon after the paper has gone to print, and be in his constituency.”The newspaper said its publication schedule “will enable Mr Osborne to edit the paper and continue to fulfil his other commitments, including as an MP; giving him the time to vote and contribute in parliament in the afternoon after the paper has gone to print, and be in his constituency.”
He will edit the paper on average four days a week, an email to staff said. It also noted that “as required of former ministers, Mr Osborne is seeking the advice of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments on his appointment”. He will edit the paper on average four days a week, the statement said. It also noted that “as required of former ministers, Mr Osborne is seeking the advice of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments on his appointment”.
The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, congratulated Osborne on his new job, tweeting:
Congratulations to @George_Osborne - the new editor of the @EveningStandard. Covering the world's greatest city #LondonIsOpen
But Andy Burnham, the Labour candidate to become mayor of Greater Manchester, said that while he wished Osborne well “it is hard to see how he can continue as a north-west MP”. “Our region is entering a crucial period and we need all of its representatives to be completely focused on it,” he said.
The Lib Dem leader, Tim Farron, described the appointment as “quite incredible news and an amazing coup for Lebedev. At least the paper should move to the left now.”
Downing Street was caught off guard by the announcement, which coincided with the morning briefing to reporters. “I’m unaware of it,” Theresa May’s spokesman said. “You’ll be able to tell that this is the first I’m hearing of this.” Asked later whether the prime minister thought Osborne could continue as an MP, a No 10 source said: “I have no comment to make.”
Ryan Shorthouse, director of the Conservative thinktank Bright Blue, said Osborne should resign as an MP. “A free press, which holds power to account, is a fundamental part of a liberal democracy,” he said. “A sitting MP, especially of the governing party, cannot also be an editor of an influential and national newspaper. It is a significant conflict of interest and unethical.”
However, Patti Goddard, president of the Tatton Conservative Association, said Osborne had their full support. “He’s a hard-working constituency MP … The fact he’s editing the Evening Standard in the weekday mornings won’t affect that at all – after all, being chancellor was a 24/7 job.”
Osborne, 45, who became chancellor in 2010 and was a key figure behind the coalition government’s austerity programme, was sacked by May following the Brexit vote. Unlike David Cameron, however, he opted to remain in parliament.Osborne, 45, who became chancellor in 2010 and was a key figure behind the coalition government’s austerity programme, was sacked by May following the Brexit vote. Unlike David Cameron, however, he opted to remain in parliament.
He has faced sharp criticism for taking on a series of highly lucrative jobs alongside his parliamentary role, including a contract with the US fund management firm BlackRock that will earn him £650,000 a year for one day’s work a week. He has faced sharp criticism for taking on a series of highly lucrative jobs alongside his parliamentary role, including a contract with the US fund manager BlackRock that will earn him £650,000 a year for one day’s work a week.
Over the past six months, Osborne has also earned almost £800,000 for 15 speeches, some of which caused him to miss crucial votes in parliament, including on Brexit. He also collects a £120,000 a year “stipend” from a US Republican thinktank, and received an estimated £100,000 advance for his book, Age of Unreason. In addition, he receives an annual dividend of £44,000 from his family’s wallpaper business, Osborne & Little, on top of his £75,000 salary as MP for Tatton. Over the past six months, Osborne has also earned almost £800,000 for 15 speeches. And he collects a £120,000 a year “stipend” from a US Republican thinktank, and received an estimated £100,000 advance for his book, Age of Unreason. In addition, he receives an annual dividend of £44,000 from his family’s wallpaper business, Osborne & Little, on top of his £75,000 salary as MP for Tatton.
Lebedev said: “I am proud to have an editor of such substance, who reinforces The Standard’s standing and influence in London, and whose political viewpoint – socially liberal and economically pragmatic – closely matches that of many of our readers. Lebedev said: “I am proud to have an editor of such substance, who reinforces The Standard’s standing and influence in London, and whose political viewpoint – socially liberal and economically pragmatic – closely matches that of many of our readers. George is London through and through and I am confident he is the right person to build on the fantastic legacy of Sarah Sands.”
“George is London through and through and I am confident he is the right person to build on the fantastic legacy of Sarah Sands.”
Sands, who edited the paper from 2012, has been appointed the new editor of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.Sands, who edited the paper from 2012, has been appointed the new editor of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
As a young graduate, Osborne hoped to pursue a career in journalism, but in 1993, he failed to get a place on the Times’s trainee scheme, and settled instead for freelance work on the Daily Telegraph’s Peterborough diary column, before a friend alerted him to a vacancy for a researcher at Conservative central office. As a young graduate, Osborne hoped to pursue a career in journalism, but in 1993, he failed to get a place on the Times’s trainee scheme, and settled instead for freelance work on the Daily Telegraph’s Peterborough diary column, before becoming a researcher at Conservative central office.
Journalists also reacted with astonishment to the news. Andrew Neil, the BBC presenter and former editor of the Sunday Times, tweeted: “My threshold for being shocked just rose a little more: George Osborne new Editor of Evening Standard. And it’s not even fake news.” He added:Journalists also reacted with astonishment to the news. Andrew Neil, the BBC presenter and former editor of the Sunday Times, tweeted: “My threshold for being shocked just rose a little more: George Osborne new Editor of Evening Standard. And it’s not even fake news.” He added:
Mr Osborne advises Black Rock for huge fee. Where does this leave the Standard's City Pages?Mr Osborne advises Black Rock for huge fee. Where does this leave the Standard's City Pages?
Ed Miliband, the former Labour leader, captured some of the widespread incredulity, tweeting:Ed Miliband, the former Labour leader, captured some of the widespread incredulity, tweeting:
Breaking: I will shortly be announced as editor of Heat magazine....Breaking: I will shortly be announced as editor of Heat magazine....