The political editor of a newspaper or broadcaster is the senior political reporter who covers politics and related matters for the newspaper or station. They may have a large team of political correspondents working under them.
In publishing, because of their seniority, a political editor's byline is often added to stories that actually are the work of more junior colleagues to give the story more credibility and to indicate their seniority within the publication. The political editor usually carries out the major interviews with a country's prime minister and senior government figures and covers major events like party conferences.
BBC News introduced the role of political editor in 1970.[1] In addition to the nation-wide political editors, Glenn Campbell has been political editor for BBC Scotland since 2021, Felicity Evans has been political editor for BBC Cymru Wales since 2018[2] and Nicholas Watt has been political editor for Newsnight since 2016.[3]
| Political editor | Tenure | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 - 1975 | Then Chief Assistant to the Director-General of the BBC | ||
| 1975 - 1980 | |||
| 1980 - 1981 | BBC World Affairs Editor from 1988 to present | ||
| 1981 - 1992 | Retired from political journalism | ||
| 1992 - 2000 | European political editor of CNN 2000 - 2008 | ||
| 2000 - 2005 | |||
| 2005 - 2015 | Political editor of ITV News 2002 - 2005, now a Today programme presenter | ||
| 2015 - 2022 | Presenting Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg since 2022 | ||
| 2022 - present |
ITN produces news programmes for ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5. The ITN brand was used on ITV until 1999, when it was rebranded as ITV News.
| Political editor | Tenure | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 - 1981 | Subsequently political editor of The Times newspaper | ||
| 1981 - 1986 | Subsequently political editor of BBC Wales and Electoral Commissioner | ||
| 1986 - 2000 | Retired | ||
| 2000 - 2002 | Retired, previously Political Correspondent of BBC News 1981 - 1992 and Chief Political Correspondent 1992 - 2000 | ||
| 2002 - 2005 | Political editor of BBC News 2005 - 2015, now a Today programme presenter | ||
| 2005 - 2015 | Now an ITV News at Ten presenter | ||
| 2015 - present |
Additionally, Colin Mackay has been the political editor for STV News in Scotland since 2019, when he replaced Bernard Ponsonby.
Political editors for Channel 4 News include:
ITN produced the 5 News programme for Channel 5 from the channel's launch in 1997 until 2005 and again from 2012, with Sky News providing news coverage in the intervening years. Andy Bell has been the programme's political editor since 1999.
Sky News launched in 1989 with Adam Boulton as political editor. Faisal Islam took over the role in 2014 before moving to the BBC as Economics Editor in 2019. Islam was replaced as Sky's political editor by his former deputy, Beth Rigby.
| Political editor | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 - 1990 | ||
| 1990 - 2006 | ||
| 2006 - 2015 | ||
| 2016 - 2022 | ||
| 2016 - 2018 | Asthana was political editor in a job-share arrangement with Heather Stewart beginning in early 2016 | |
| 2022 - present | ||
| Political editor | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 - 2005 | ||
| 2006 - 2009 | ||
| 2009 - 2020 | ||
| 2020 - present | ||
| Political editor | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 - 2014 | ||
| 2014 - 2021 | ||
| Caroline Wheeler | 2021 - present | [6] |
| Political editor | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 - 2017 | Position created; Political Editor for Nine News 2017–2022 [7] [8] [9] | |
| 2017 - present | Previously 7.30 Political Editor [10] [11] [12] | |
| Political editor | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 - 2017 | [14] [15] [16] | |
| 2017 - 2022 | [17] [18] | |
| Charles Croucher | 2022 - present | [19] [20] |
| Political editor | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 - 2021 | [21] | |
| Simon Benson | 2021 - present | [22] [23] |