George Osborne, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer, will be the next editor of the London Evening Standard.
He will start in the middle of May, replacing previous editor Sarah Sands, pending the approval of the civil service advisory committee.
Former Prime Minister David Cameron told i it was a “great move” for his former number two and said he had congratulated his old colleague.
George Osborne’s appointment is a throwback to the days of part-time MPs
It’s not Mr Osborne’s first foray into the world of media. Mr Osborne applied to be a Times trainee journalist in 1993, after he graduated from Oxford University, and despite getting down to the last handful of applicants, was rejected.
His application for a job at the Economist was also turned down the FT’s Gideon Rachman.
Instead Mr Osborne did freelance work on the Daily Telegraph’s Peterborough diary column.
Keeping his seat
Following David Cameron’s departure, Mr Osborne was given no Cabinet position by Theresa May when she became Prime Minister and remains a backbench MP.
He will continue to serve his constituents in Tatton, Cheshire, as he manages the London-based free newspaper with over a million readers.
Quiz: would you make a better newspaper editor than George Osborne?
He has also been hired as an adviser to Blackrock, the world’s largest fund manager.
The Standard’s owner, Evgeny Lebedev, who also owns the Independent and formerly owned i, 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.”
‘Growing up as a Londoner’
Mr Osborne said:
“This is such an exciting and challenging job and I’m thrilled to take it on. The Evening Standard is a great paper, testimony to the hard work of Sarah Sands and the impressive team, and to the investment of its owners. I look forward to working with, learning from and leading this team of dedicated professionals.
“Growing up as a Londoner, I’ve always known that the Evening Standard is an institution that plays a huge part in the life of the city and its people.
“Now it is a great honour that I can play a part as leader of the editorial team making the Evening Standard the definitive voice of the world’s most exciting city.”
