Guido hears LBC are expecting to make the final decision on their new Political Editor some time this week. Theo Usherwood stood down in April, so it’s been a long, three-month process to find a replacement. Interviews were held over the last couple of weeks. The rumoured shortlist includes Tortoise’s Cat Neilan, LBC’s Ben Kentish, Sun’s Natasha Clark, Sky’s Tamara Cohen, and Times Radio’s Matt Chorley…
Matt Chorley talking to Angela Rayner about his favourite cocktails:
“I had a brain haemorrhage once…”
Explains everything.
As Alex Wickham approaches the end of his time as Playbook editor, one gets the sense that his SW1 diplomacy skills are beginning to fade. This morning Patrick Maguire – editor of The Times Red Box – received a glowing endorsement for his rival morning newsletter from Matt Chorley, including the less-than-subtle dig that it’s “unencumbered by being too close to No10.”
If you're not reading @patrickkmaguire's Red Box every morning, you're missing out.
— Matt Chorley (@MattChorley) May 20, 2022
Concise, smart, funny, unencumbered by being too close to No10.
It's so good, the FT have launched a carbon copy of it
Latest one: https://t.co/HFpSffgx7D
Subscribe https://t.co/9X3raNDYWa pic.twitter.com/IbNZNyeD27
A dig Wiki couldn’t take lying down…
another tweet! You’re obsessed. Certainly makes a difference from all your texts begging to go into my runners and riders. Is that cos you’re desperate for a different job or to still appear relevant?
— Alex Wickham (@alexwickham) May 20, 2022
Chorley walked straight into Wiki’s trap, however, denying ever asking to be included in a runners and rider’s list. Thankfully Alex had the receipts…
thanks and all the best pic.twitter.com/6S1jbrXctn
— Alex Wickham (@alexwickham) May 20, 2022
Guido’s surprised to see Matt Chorley severing ties with Politico in this way – as co-conspirators will be aware he was considered a prime front runner to replace Wiki, as per Guido’s runners and riders list. Alas it wasn’t to be…
Guido can exclusively reveal the leaked line-up for the launching-in-the-summer Times Radio. After six years on the BBC Radio 4’s Saturday Live, Aasmah Mir (who has been widely expected to be joining the new venture) will be co-presenting the new station’s staple Breakfast show alongside Stig Abell. The line-up looks like it is tilted towards a very middle class, Remainer Radio 4 audience…
Abell and Mir will be joined on the station by the BBC’s John Pienaar, The Times’ Matt Chorley, the BBC’s Phil Williams, the BBC’s Carole Walker, and Mariella Frostrup, who in 2005 was voted the sexiest female voice on television. The full daily line-up is:
Congratulations to Stig on winning the plum breakfast slot. As the station’s launch editor that must have been a really tough interview process. No sign so far of heavily tipped to join Tom Newton Dunn.
UPDATE 27/04: The Times announces this morning Cathy Newman is also on board to anchor their Friday drivetime show, and Radio 4’s World at One’s Luke Jones will co-present Friday-to-Sunday breakfast with Panorama’s Jenny Kleeman.
Matt Chorley reviews the Lobby’s Coronavirus coverage
“This is a crisis where health and science hacks have shone, not bored Lobby wallies”
The Times’ Matt Chorley found himself in a scrap with Rebecca Long-Bailey spinner Matt Zarb Cousin this morning when pointing out that Long-Bailey conducted an interview in which she tried to distance herself from Corbyn… inside one of Corbyn’s office rooms. Zarb-Cousin tried to hit back with what looks like a denial…
That’s not Corbyn’s office it’s a meeting room in Norman Shaw South, the building where Rebecca’s office is
— Matt Zarb-Cousin (@mattzarb) January 22, 2020
However, as with other Matt Zarb Cousin denials, this one quickly fell apart…
Sounds like you’re rowing back there Matt 🚣♀️ is it his office or a boardroom
— Matt Zarb-Cousin (@mattzarb) January 22, 2020
Long-Bailey’s interview was in Corbyn’s suite of offices. Zarb-Cousin, who used to work for Jezza, claiming that this is materially different from inside his core office, seems to be a stretch…
If Jeremy happened to be pottering about in the background I might think you’d have a point
— Matt Zarb-Cousin (@mattzarb) January 22, 2020
As ever Guido will let you decide who won…
