"former Political Editor, Nick Robinson, was some years ago a chairman of the Young Conservatives and did, as a result, attract informal criticism from the former Labour government, but his predecessor Andrew Marr faced similar claims from the right because he was editor of ""The Independent"", a liberal-leaning newspaper, before his appointment in 2000. Mark Thompson, former Director-General of the BBC, admitted the organisation has been biased ""towards the left"" in the past. He said, ""In the BBC I joined 30 years ago, there was, in much of current affairs, in terms of people's personal politics, which were quite vocal,"
"Laura Kuenssberg Laura Juliet Kuenssberg (born 1976) is a British journalist. In July 2015, she was appointed as the political editor of BBC News, the first woman to hold the position, in succession to Nick Robinson. She is the daughter of Scottish businessman Nick Kuenssberg, OBE, and his wife Sally Kuenssberg, CBE. She is the granddaughter of Ekkehard von Kuenssberg (1913-2000), a German-born physician who emigrated to Scotland. Kuenssberg was born in Italy, while her father was working there for Coats Viyella. She grew up in Glasgow, with her brother and sister, and attended Laurel Park School, a private girls'"
"membership referendum and its aftermath. Kuenssberg is married to James Kelly, a management consultant who studied in Edinburgh and at Harvard. They live in east London. Laura Kuenssberg Laura Juliet Kuenssberg (born 1976) is a British journalist. In July 2015, she was appointed as the political editor of BBC News, the first woman to hold the position, in succession to Nick Robinson. She is the daughter of Scottish businessman Nick Kuenssberg, OBE, and his wife Sally Kuenssberg, CBE. She is the granddaughter of Ekkehard von Kuenssberg (1913-2000), a German-born physician who emigrated to Scotland. Kuenssberg was born in Italy, while"
"Kamal Ahmed (journalist) Kamal Ahmed (born 15 November 1967 in Ealing, London) is a British journalist, currently editorial director of BBC News. He was Economics Editor at the BBC until November 2018. He was the business editor of BBC News from March 2014, until Simon Jack was appointed as his successor in February, 2016. He was formerly the political editor of ""The Observer"" newspaper, business editor of ""The Sunday Telegraph"" newspaper and Director of Communications at the Equality and Human Rights Commission. Ahmed is the son of an English mother from Rotherham and a Sudanese father who was a research"
"journalist and novelist Elizabeth Day in December 2011. The couple separated in February 2015 and are now divorced. Kamal Ahmed (journalist) Kamal Ahmed (born 15 November 1967 in Ealing, London) is a British journalist, currently editorial director of BBC News. He was Economics Editor at the BBC until November 2018. He was the business editor of BBC News from March 2014, until Simon Jack was appointed as his successor in February, 2016. He was formerly the political editor of ""The Observer"" newspaper, business editor of ""The Sunday Telegraph"" newspaper and Director of Communications at the Equality and Human Rights Commission."
"since 1999. In 2010, he became Chief Political Correspondent for Radio 4. In July 2011, he was appointed to the position of Chief Political Correspondent for the BBC News channel replacing Laura Kuenssberg who departed to ITN, before then being promoted to his current position of Assistant Political Editor in 2014. Since 2015, he has been a relief presenter for ""Victoria Derbyshire"" on BBC Two and the BBC News Channel. Norman Smith (journalist) Norman Stuart Smith (born 30 April 1959 in Kensington, London) is a British journalist. He became the Chief Political Correspondent of BBC News in 2011, and its"
"Robbie Gibb Robbie Paul Gibb (born September 1964) is a British public relations professional, political advisor, and broadcast journalist. Gibb is a former editor of the BBC's ""Sunday Politics"" and ""Daily Politics"" programmes. Gibb was head of BBC Westminster in overall charge of the BBC’s political programme output - Daily and Sunday Politics, Andrew Marr Show, This Week and Radio 4’s Westminster Hour. Prior to joining the political team at Westminster he was Deputy Editor of BBC2’s Newsnight. During the EU referendum campaign Gibb was editor of The Great Debate at Wembley Arena and Editor of the BBC’s General Election"
"as a presenter and within BBC management, latterly as Chief Assistant to DG Director-General of the BBC and then Secretary, before retiring in 1985. His second wife, journalist Linda Alexander, was a presenter on ""Newsnight"" between 1980 and 1983. David Holmes (journalist) David Holmes (c. 1926 - February 2014) was a British journalist and broadcaster who served as the BBC's Political Editor from 1975 to 1980. He was educated at Allhallows School. In 1956 he became a BBC home news reporter and between 1961 and 1972 was an assistant political correspondent (Deputy Political Editor from 1970) before being appointed Political"
"a role across the Sunday and Daily Telegraph print editions. On 20 December 2013, it was announced that Ahmed would replace Robert Peston as the business editor of BBC News, and on 24 March 2014 he assumed the post. On 3 December 2015, after Peston's departure to ITV, it was announced that Ahmed would replace him as the BBC economics editor, with his successor as business editor of BBC News would be announced early in 2016. On 30 July 2018, Ahmed was announced as BBC News' Editorial Director, with Faisal Islam replacing him in his current role. Ahmed married the"
"Tim Iredale Timothy Iredale (born 24 October 1972 in Huddersfield, West Riding of Yorkshire) is an English television journalist, currently the Political Editor for the BBC in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. He was born on the same day as Jeremy Wright, the Conservative MP for Kenilworth and Southam. Tim Iredale grew up in Huddersfield and attended Shelley High School on ""Huddersfield Road"" in Shelley, West Yorkshire. Tim Iredale is the BBC Political Editor for Yorkshire and Lincolnshire (broadcast from Belmont). He covers the region which was home to some of the most familiar political heavyweights, including John Prescott (Baron Prescott), Alan"
"Jack Hardiman Scott Jack (known as Peter) Hardiman Scott (born 2 April 1920 in King's Lynn, died 15 September 1999 in Boxford, Suffolk) was a distinguished British journalist and broadcaster. He was the BBC's first Political Editor from 1970 to 1975. After working on various provincial newspapers, he joined the BBC in 1950 as assistant news editor in Birmingham. In 1954 he became a BBC home news reporter in London before being appointed to the new post of Political Correspondent in 1960 (Political Editor from 1970) which he held until 1975. He then spent five years as Chief Assistant to"
"Fran Unsworth Francesca Mary ""Fran"" Unsworth (born 29 December 1957) is a British journalist and media executive. Since January 2018 she has been Director, News & Current Affairs for BBC News. She was appointed in succession to James Harding. Before then she served in various senior positions in the BBC, including director of the BBC World Service Group. Previously she was Acting Director of News at the BBC from November 2012 until August 2013 and a member of the BBC's executive board. In 2013 she was appointed Deputy Director of News and Current Affairs. A native of in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire,"
"North programme. He lives in Bradford. His Barnsley-born wife, Jennine (""née"" Stanley), is a veterinary nurse in Batley. Tim Iredale Timothy Iredale (born 24 October 1972 in Huddersfield, West Riding of Yorkshire) is an English television journalist, currently the Political Editor for the BBC in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. He was born on the same day as Jeremy Wright, the Conservative MP for Kenilworth and Southam. Tim Iredale grew up in Huddersfield and attended Shelley High School on ""Huddersfield Road"" in Shelley, West Yorkshire. Tim Iredale is the BBC Political Editor for Yorkshire and Lincolnshire (broadcast from Belmont). He covers the"
"John Pienaar John Adrian Pienaar (born 2 October 1956) is a British journalist who is currently Deputy Political Editor for BBC News, and presenter of ""Pienaar's Politics"" on BBC Radio 5 Live. Pienaar's parents, Eric and Johanna Pienaar, were both born in South Africa. He was educated at Bromley Technical High School, in Keston, near Bromley, Kent and then obtained his NCTJ training at Highbury College, Portsmouth. Pienaar began his career in journalism at ""South London Press"", before becoming an Old Bailey correspondent. He was then a political correspondent at ""The Independent"", the Press Association, ""The Guardian"", and from 1992"
"and was survived by his second wife, Sue. He had two sons from his first marriage. Jack Hardiman Scott Jack (known as Peter) Hardiman Scott (born 2 April 1920 in King's Lynn, died 15 September 1999 in Boxford, Suffolk) was a distinguished British journalist and broadcaster. He was the BBC's first Political Editor from 1970 to 1975. After working on various provincial newspapers, he joined the BBC in 1950 as assistant news editor in Birmingham. In 1954 he became a BBC home news reporter in London before being appointed to the new post of Political Correspondent in 1960 (Political Editor"
"year later where he worked as European Editor and Chief Political Correspondent. Between 2007 and 2008, he was the acting Political Editor for ""The Observer"". In 2016, Watt left ""The Guardian"" to become Political Editor for ""Newsnight"" on BBC Two, replacing Allegra Stratton. Nicholas Watt ""Not to be confused with Nick Watt (CNN reporter)"" Nicholas ""Nick"" Watt is a British journalist. He is the current political editor on BBC's ""Newsnight"". Watt studied History at the University of York between 1986-1989, before studying for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism Studies at the University of Wales between 1989–90. Watt began his career"
"elections and European elections coverage in early June 2009. A strategy review of the BBC in March 2010, confirmed that having ""the best journalism in the world"" would form one of five key editorial policies, as part of changes subject to public consultation and BBC Trust approval. After a period of suspension in late 2012, Helen Boaden ceased to be the Director of BBC News. On 16 April 2013, incoming BBC Director-General Tony Hall named James Harding, a former editor of ""The Times"" of London newspaper as Director of News and Current Affairs. From August 2012 to March 2013, all"
"Ben Wright (journalist) Ben Wright is a Political Correspondent for BBC News, the main newsgathering department of the BBC, and its 24-hour television news channels BBC World News and BBC News Channel, as well as the BBC's domestic television and radio channels and the BBC World Service. He was formerly Chief Political Correspondent for BBC Radio 4, having been appointed to the position in March 2012. He became Washington Correspondent in December 2012 before moving back to London. Wright, the son of former Labour MP and Public Administration Select Committee chairman Tony Wright, and his wife, Moira Phillips, was born"
"Polly Toynbee Mary Louisa ""Polly"" Toynbee (; born 27 December 1946) is a British journalist and writer. She has been a columnist for ""The Guardian"" newspaper since 1998. She is a social democrat and was a candidate for the Social Democratic Party in the 1983 general election. She now broadly supports the Labour Party, although she has been critical of its current left-wing leader, Jeremy Corbyn. Toynbee previously worked as social affairs editor for the BBC and also for ""The Independent"" newspaper. She is vice-president of Humanists UK, having previously served as its president between 2007 and 2012. She was"
"Nick Robinson (journalist) Nicholas Anthony Robinson (born 5 October 1963) is a British journalist, currently a presenter on the BBC's ""Today"" programme. Prior to this he spent ten years as political editor for the BBC, and he has had many other roles with the broadcaster. Robinson was interested in politics from an early age, and went on to study Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford University, where he was also President of the Oxford University Conservative Association. Starting out in broadcasting at Piccadilly Radio, after a year as President of the Conservative Party youth group, he worked his way up"
"personal scoops as Political Editor were the second resignation of Peter Mandelson, and the interview in late 2004 in which Tony Blair told him that he would not seek a fourth term as prime minister should he win the forthcoming general election. During his time as political editor, Marr assumed various presentational roles, and announced in 2005 that following the 2005 General Election, he would step down as political editor to spend more time with his family. He was succeeded as political editor by Nick Robinson. In September 2005, he moved to a new role presenting the BBC's Sunday morning"
"Michael Cockerell Michael Roger Lewis Cockerell (born 26 August 1940) is a British broadcaster and journalist. He is the BBC's most established political documentary maker, with a long, Emmy award-winning career of political programmes spanning television and radio. His father was Secretary General of the Chartered Insurance Institute, a professor who was an expert on insurance law and his mother a playwright. He was educated at Kilburn Grammar School and Corpus Christi College, Oxford where he studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE). Cockerell joined the BBC Africa service and for 12 years he was a reporter on the current affairs"
"remove a bronchial carcinoid tumour; he returned to work at the BBC on 13 April 2015, as part of its coverage of the 2015 general election and beyond. The operation was reported to have been a “complete success”. Nick Robinson (journalist) Nicholas Anthony Robinson (born 5 October 1963) is a British journalist, currently a presenter on the BBC's ""Today"" programme. Prior to this he spent ten years as political editor for the BBC, and he has had many other roles with the broadcaster. Robinson was interested in politics from an early age, and went on to study Philosophy, Politics and"
"about the effect of pesticides on wildlife. He presented ""Crisis Command - Could you run the country?"" - a BBC TV show where three people are given the chance to take ministerial decisions in a real-time dramatisation of a potential national emergency (flooding, terrorist attack etc.). He has written ""A Soul on Ice"" - a book about his time as a journalist. Gavin Hewitt Gavin Hewitt (born March 1951, Penge, London) is a British journalist and presenter, currently BBC News's News Editor. He was formerly its Europe Editor, a post he held between September 2009 to the autumn of 2014,"
"Norman Smith (journalist) Norman Stuart Smith (born 30 April 1959 in Kensington, London) is a British journalist. He became the Chief Political Correspondent of BBC News in 2011, and its Assistant Political Editor in 2014. Smith was educated at Oundle School and St Peter's College, Oxford, where he read History. Smith began his career in regional newspapers in Birmingham and Bristol, before joining the BBC as a local radio reporter in 1986. Smith became a parliamentary correspondent in 1993, presenting ""Today"" and ""Yesterday in Parliament"" on BBC Radio 4. He has reported for the BBC from the Palace of Westminster"
"Faisal Islam Faisal Islam (born 29 May 1977) is a British political and economics journalist who since summer 2014 has been the Political Editor of Sky News. He was the Economics Editor of Channel 4 News, until 1 June 2014, when he was replaced by Paul Mason, the programme's former Culture and Media Editor. Islam formally joined Sky News in 2014 as its Political Editor, succeeding Adam Boulton, who now presents a mid morning news programme All Out Politics on the same channel. In November 2018 it was announced that he would replace Kamal Ahmed as BBC economics editor. Faisal"
"""a source of light as well as heat"" becoming an opportunity to ""explore and illuminate the dilemmas politicians face, to recognise that government is not a choice between good and bad policies but most often a search for the least worst option."" On 31 October 2017, it was announced that Katz is leaving the BBC, and his role as ""Newsnight"" editor for Channel 4 where he will become director of programmes. He assumed his new post in January 2018. Katz is married to Justine Roberts, the chief executive of the Mumsnet website. Ian Katz Ian Alexander Katz (born 9 February"
"James Harding (journalist) James Paul Harding (born 15 September 1969) is a British journalist, and was the Director of BBC News from August 2013 until 1 January 2018.. He is the co-founder of Tortoise Media. In December 2007, he was appointed as editor of ""The Times"" newspaper, the youngest person to assume the post, following Robert Thomson's appointment as publisher of the ""Wall Street Journal"". He left ""The Times"" in December 2012, and was succeeded by John Witherow as acting editor. Harding was raised in north-west London, the grandson of a German Jewish refugee. He was educated at two independent"
"currently focuses primarily on issues relating to British politics. Ben is married to Poppy Mitchell-Rose, formerly a BBC and Reuters employee, special adviser (2010 to 2012) to Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne and currently a director at Freuds Communications. Ben Wright (journalist) Ben Wright is a Political Correspondent for BBC News, the main newsgathering department of the BBC, and its 24-hour television news channels BBC World News and BBC News Channel, as well as the BBC's domestic television and radio channels and the BBC World Service. He was formerly Chief Political Correspondent for BBC Radio 4, having been appointed"
"David Holmes (journalist) David Holmes (c. 1926 - February 2014) was a British journalist and broadcaster who served as the BBC's Political Editor from 1975 to 1980. He was educated at Allhallows School. In 1956 he became a BBC home news reporter and between 1961 and 1972 was an assistant political correspondent (Deputy Political Editor from 1970) before being appointed Political Editor in 1975. In the same year he provided commentary on the first live transmission from the House of Commons on BBC Radio. He was also (1971) first editor of BBC 4's arts programme 'Kaleidoscope'. Holmes also had periods"
"from revealing an anti-war BBC, our findings tend to give credence to those who criticised the BBC for being too sympathetic to the government in its war coverage. Either way, it is clear that the accusation of BBC anti-war bias fails to stand up to any serious or sustained analysis."" Prominent BBC appointments are constantly assessed by the British media and political establishment for signs of political bias. The appointment of Greg Dyke as Director-General was highlighted by press sources because Dyke was a Labour Party member and former activist, as well as a friend of Tony Blair. The BBC's"
"BBC is not impartial or neutral. It has a liberal bias, not so much a party-political bias. It is better expressed as a cultural liberal bias."" Former BBC director Roger Mosey classified it as ""liberal defensive."" Conversely, writing for ""The Guardian"", the left-wing columnist Owen Jones stated ""the truth is the BBC is stacked full of rightwingers,"" and he cited as an example of bias its employment of ""ultra-Thatcherite"" Andrew Neil as a politics presenter. Paul Mason, the former Economics Editor of the BBC's ""Newsnight"" programme, criticised the BBC as ""unionist"" in relation to its coverage of the Scottish independence"
"Jon Sopel Jonathan B. Sopel (born 22 May 1959 in London, England) is a British television presenter and correspondent for the BBC's international television news channel, BBC World News, currently serving as the North America Editor for the BBC. He was previously chief political correspondent for the formerly-named domestic news channel BBC News 24, a presenter on the ""Politics Show"" on BBC One and the BBC News channel; and from 2013 to 2014, the main presenter on ""Global"", on BBC World News. Born in 1959 to parents Myer and Miriam Sopel, he was educated at Christ's College, Finchley in north"