The Daily Mirror was the latest UK national newspaper to get a new editor after Alison Phillips stepped down at the end of January after almost six years.
Phillips was succeeded by Caroline Waterston, at least on an interim basis, who now leads the Mirror in addition to her existing responsibility over Reach’s magazines and supplements.
The other most recent changes at the UK’s national newspaper editor line-up include, in 2022 and 2023, at the Evening Standard, The Sunday Times, The Times, The Independent and the Sunday Express in the past 12 months.
Former GQ editor of 22 years Dylan Jones was named editor-in-chief of the Evening Standard in May 2023.
Sunday Times deputy editor Ben Taylor was promoted to editor in January 2023 following the news that Emma Tucker was leaving to lead the Wall Street Journal.
Before that The Independent appointed Geordie Greig, formerly editor of the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and Evening Standard, and Tony Gallagher took over at The Times from John Witherow, who was editor for almost a decade.
That shake-up came just a month after the Sunday Express gained a new editor in David Wooding, less than a year since both Mail titles gained new editors.
Press Gazette has put together a round-up of the UK’s national newspaper editors as they stand (in no particular order). We will keep this list updated.
UK national newspaper editors
The Times
Tony Gallagher was appointed editor of The Times on 28 September 2022 following the resignation of John Witherow the day before.
Gallagher was promoted from deputy editor, and had already been acting as caretaker editor for several months while Witherow was on medical leave.
Gallagher joined The Times in February 2020 from fellow News UK title The Sun where he was editor for five years. He has also previously edited The Daily Telegraph between 2009 and 2014.
The Sunday Times
Ben Taylor was named editor of The Sunday Times on 19 January 2023, stepping up from deputy editor after news Emma Tucker would be leaving to lead The Wall Street Journal from 1 February.
Taylor was previously executive editor of the Daily Mail, where he worked for 22 years, before joining The Sunday Times as deputy editor in 2020.
Daily Mail
Ted Verity has edited the Daily Mail since November 2021, having previously been at the helm of the Mail on Sunday since 2018 and deputy at the daily paper before that.
He is editor-in-chief of Mail Newspapers, meaning he has overall responsibility for the Mail brands in a seven-day operation.
Mail on Sunday
Following Verity’s promotion, David Dillon was appointed to be Mail on Sunday editor in December 2021. He was previously Verity’s deputy.
Dillon first joined the Mail on Sunday from the Daily Express in 2001, working as news editor for a number of years before being promoted to executive editor.
The Sun and The Sun on Sunday
Victoria Newton has been editor-in-chief of The Sun since February 2020. She had been editor at The Sun on Sunday since 2013 but took over from Gallagher when he left The Sun for The Times.
Newton has maintained responsibility for the Sunday title in her editor-in-chief role.
Daily Mirror
Caroline Waterston, previously editor-in-chief of Reach magazines and supplements, has edited the Daily Mirror since the start of February 2024.
Waterston first joined Reach (then Trinity Mirror) in the mid-1990s and her roles have included deputy news editor and features editor of The People, features editor of the Sunday Mirror, head of features and deputy editor on the Sunday titles, deputy editor-in-chief across the Express and Star titles after their acquisition by Reach, and editor-in-chief of the national magazines including OK! magazine.
Waterston took over from Alison Phillips, who had edited the Daily Mirror since March 2018 and was editor-in-chief of that title plus the Sunday Mirror and Sunday People from February 2020 with the move to a seven-day operation.
Sunday Mirror/Sunday People
Gemma Aldridge has edited the Sunday Mirror and Sunday People since March 2021.
She is also a deputy editor of the daily title and her previous roles included features editor and assistant editor of the two Sunday titles.
Aldridge announced in March 2024 she is now executive editor (weekends) of the Mirror while still editing her “beloved” Sunday Mirror.
Her remit now covers “all weekend content across Mirror print & digital platforms as we build our brand into the future”.
She added: “Newsbrands must be agile in order to reach &retain new audiences by serving them great content in the formats in which they want to consume it. We’re on an ambitious journey to create a truly hybrid print/digital Mirror newsroom that will serve our readers for years to come.”
The Daily Telegraph
Chris Evans has been editor of The Telegraph since January 2014 after the sacking of Tony Gallagher. He has been with The Telegraph since 2007, with previous roles including news editor and head of news, after joining from the Daily Mail where he spent 11 years.
The Sunday Telegraph
Although Evans has ultimate editorial responsibility at The Telegraph, Allister Heath has edited The Sunday Telegraph since 2017, having previously been Telegraph deputy editor.
Daily Express
Gary Jones has led the Daily Express since March 2018 following Mirror owner Reach’s takeover of the paper. He had previously edited the Sunday Mirror and Sunday People.
Unusually for the Express Jones supports Labour and voted for Remain in the 2016 Brexit referendum. But he has spoken of how he made it his mission to turn the Express into a more positive force for good and less offensive, saying it had “come a long way” in his first three years as editor.
Sunday Express
In August 2022 David Wooding left The Sun on Sunday where he was political editor to become editor of the Sunday Express. He had spent 25 years as a political journalist.
He succeeded Mick Booker, who left at the end of 2021 to become editorial director at GB News.
The Guardian
Katharine Viner has been editor-in-chief at The Guardian since 2015, when she was voted by staff to take over from Alan Rusbridger. She was previously editor-in-chief at The Guardian’s US edition.
The Observer
Under Viner’s leadership, Paul Webster edits The Observer. Viner appointed him to the role in 2018, after 20 years as deputy at the Sunday paper.
i
Oly Duff has been editor-in-chief of the i since June 2013, when he became the UK’s youngest national newspaper editor aged 29 – a title he maintains today.
Financial Times
Roula Khalaf has edited The Financial Times since January 2020, when she succeeded Lionel Barber who spent 14 years as editor.
Khalaf had been Barber’s deputy since 2016 and her previous roles at the FT included foreign editor and Middle East editor. She first joined the business newspaper in 1995.
Daily Star
Jon Clark has been seven-day editor-in-chief at the Daily Star since March 2018 after the paper was bought by Reach (then Trinity Mirror). He was previously associate editor at the Daily Mirror from 2013.
Daily Star on Sunday
Under Clark’s leadership, Denis Mann edits the Daily Star on Sunday and is a deputy on the daily. He has similarly held the role since March 2018.
The Independent
Geordie Greig was appointed as editor-in-chief of the digital-only The Independent in January 2023, just over a year after being ousted from editing the Daily Mail. He has previously edited the Mail on Sunday, Evening Standard and Tatler.
He took over at The Independent from David Marley, who had been acting editor since October 2020 when Christian Broughton was promoted to managing director.
Free newspaper editors
Metro
Deborah Arthurs is editor-in-chief of Metro in print and online, having taken the lead on a new combined operation in March 2023.
She had been editor of Metro.co.uk from 2014 and a “gentle refresh” of the brand aligning print and online marked the beginning of her tenure as overall editor.
Arthurs has taken over from Ted Young, who had been editing the print newspaper for eight years.
Evening Standard
Former GQ editor of 22 years Dylan Jones has been appointed editor-in-chief of the Evening Standard following a brief period as editorial consultant.
Jones will begin in the new role on Monday 5 June 2023. He is the news outlet’s first permanent editor in more than 18 months.
Before him, Jack Lefley was acting editor from July 2022 and Charlotte Ross had previously been acting editor from October 2021.
The last full-time editors were Emily Sheffield, who left in October 2021 after 15 months, and former chancellor George Osborne, who was in post between May 2017 and July 2020.
City AM
London business newspaper has been edited by Andy Silvester since late 2020 when former editor Christian May left the title after five years.
Silvester had been deputy since August 2019 and was formerly a Sun PR and leader writer for two years. He also has experience heading up campaigns at the Taxpayers’ Alliance and the Institute of Directors.
The post Who are the UK’s national newspaper editors? appeared first on Press Gazette.
