George Osborne threatens to be thorn in Theresa May’s side after ousted Chancellor is appointed Evening Standard editor
MP for Tatton will take over from Sarah Sands in mid-May, according to statement from proprietor Evgeny Lebedev
FORMER Chancellor George Osborne is the surprise choice to be the new editor of the Evening Standard.
The MP for Tatton will take over from Sarah Sands, according to a shock statement from the proprietor Evgeny Lebedev this morning.
He will reportedly start his new role at the capital’s newspaper in mid-May, editing the paper an average of four days a week.
Mr Osborne also intends to stay on as an MP, saying: "I was elected by my constituents in Tatton to serve them and I intend to fulfil that promise."
But the 45-year-old, who was kicked out of No11 by Theresa May last summer, has threatened to be a thorn in the Prime Minister's side.
In a statement he said: “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.”
It will be his sixth job, alongside a burgeoning after-dinner speaking career, and as a lucrative advisor to Blackrock Investments.
He has come under criticism for his work outside Parliament, having racked up hundreds of thousands of pounds since he left the Cabinet - with today's announcement only set to make that worse.
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In response Jeremy Corbyn branded the appointment "a joke", saying it was "taking multi-tasking to a whole new level".
The Labour leader, who is an MP in north London, told the : “Surely a newspaper like the Evening Standard deserves a full time editor.
"Never mind one who is so obviously biased against the voting intentions of the vast majority of Londoners.”
But London's Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan wished him well, tweeting: "Congratulations to - the new editor of the . Covering the world's greatest city ."
Mr Lebedev said in a statement: “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.”
Mr Osborne is due to speak to staff at the newspaper today about his appointment, and has already been pictured arriving at the media firm's headquarters in west London this morning.
Six jobs George
Details of all the roles George Osborne is currently undertaking:
- Speaker, Washington Speaker’s Bureau, £628,000 (as of March 6)
- Chairman, Northern Powerhouse Partnership, unpaid
- Advisor, Blackrock Investments, £650,000 a year
- Fellowship, McCain Institute, £120,000 a year stipend for travel and research
- MP for Tatton, £75,000 a year plus expenses
- Editor, Evening Standard, salary unknown
He is also seeking the advice of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments on his new role, the newspaper said.
Patti Goddard, president of the Tatton Conservative Association, said: "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."
Mr Osborne, who became an MP in 2001, has previously worked very briefly in journalism before his career in politics.
In 1993 he applied to The Times’ trainee scheme, but just missed out on the sought-after role, as well as a similar job at The Economist.
Instead he began working freelance for the Daily Telegraph's Peterborough diary column, before getting a job as a researcher at Conservative Central Office.
George Osborne's full statement on his new role:
“I am proud to be a Conservative MP, but as editor and leader of a team of dedicated and independent journalists, our only interest will be to give a voice to all Londoners.
“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.
“So much is now at stake about the future of our country and its capital city.
“I will remain in Parliament, where that future is debated.
“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.”
Chair of the London Group of Labour MPs Wes Streeting blasted the move, saying Mr Osborne’s plan to stay as an MP did a “real disservice to Tatton and to professional journalism”.
He said: “This appointment is bad news for the reputation of politics, journalism and the relationship between the two.
“The conflict of interest is best exemplified by politicians queuing up to congratulate Gorge Osborne on his new role.
“In no way is this double-jobbing acceptable."
A spokesman for Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the appointment made a "mockery" of media independence and "insulted" Mr Osborne's constituents.
He said: "George Osborne's appointment as editor of the Evening Standard is yet another example of the Establishment revolving door, a closely-knit clique who are holding back the British people.
"The appointment makes a mockery of the independence of the media. It takes multi-tasking to a new level and is an insult to the electors he is supposed to serve.
"We are looking forward to an early by-election so the people of Tatton are properly served in Parliament."
And the Former Tatton MP Martin Bell, who was replaced by Mr Osborne in 2001, reacted to the news on BBC 5 live.
The former war correspondent told presenter Emma Barnett: "It sounds like fake news to me. Are you sure it isn't?"
Asked if he thought it was possible for Mr Osborne to do the jobs of MP and newspaper editor, he said: "If he's Superman, I guess he can do it."
Mr Osborne and Mr Lebedev appear to have been close for some time, having had at least ten private meetings while he was Chancellor, according to his ministerial disclosures.
They included “lunch and evening drinks” before Christmas 2015, and a “general discussion” ahead of the EU referendum, in which both the MP and the newspaper backed Remain.
The National Union of Journalists reacted negatively to the announcement, saying it is “a blatant, cynical political move”.
Laura Davison, an NUJ national organiser, said: "It feels like we’re entered an alternative reality where #fakenews is suddenly true.
“There will be shock and disbelief among staff at this announcement. Genuinely qualified journalists who would have done this hugely important job seriously are seeing it snatched away in a blatant, cynical political move.
“While George Osborne won’t stand down as an MP and will spend his afternoons in parliament, staff on the paper staff are being asked to take pay cuts and reduce their hours because the second edition has been scrapped.
“We’ll be asking the London Assembly to scrutinise this move as part of their investigation into the state of London media next week.
“Now that he is a journalist we, of course, look forward to his application to join the union."