The New Statesman editor’s role is a plum prize for ambitious, savvy, and of course, “progressive and liberal” hacks. After 16 years at the helm, Jason Cowley announced he’ll step down this month, remaining with the paper as a columnist and essayist. As promised, Guido gives you a list of the runners and riders:
- Lewis Goodall – Ex-BBC leftie firebrand and now News Agents mainstay. A familiar face, nervous whispers at New Statesman HQ peg Lewis as a frontrunner…
- Stephen Bush – FT associate editor and columnist. He was political editor of the New Statesman from 2018 to 2022. Could he make a return to his old stomping ground?
- Tom McTague – Political editor at UnHerd and former Chief UK Correspondent at Politico Europe. Well respected in the Westminster bubble, he’d be keen to make sure the paper kept the government’s feet to the fire…
- Helen Lewis – Once the New Statesman’s deputy editor, now at The Atlantic. The most experienced candidate—and the only woman in the mix…
- James Heale – This might seem a bit of a right-field idea, bear with Guido. Yes, he’s currently The Spectator’s political correspondent and diary editor, Heale is known to be angling for a political editor position. Equipped with a strong news sense and an eye for a scoop, he’d be making an ideological jump into the unknown. The New Statesman has made surprising picks before…
Notably, none of these runners and riders is currently in-house, and all under the age of 42. A youthful lineup for injecting some energy into the New Statesman’s 111-year-old veins…
