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Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Who is David Dinsmore? The former Sun editor given top comms job by Starmer
Sir Keir Starmer has appointed a former editor of The Sun newspaper to a senior communications role in Number 10, bringing him into the centre of government. David Dinsmore was editor of the tabloid newspaper between 2013 and 2015. He will now act as a senior civil servant responsible for overseeing and improving government communications. Whitehall sources indicate Mr Dinsmore's role, permanent secretary for communications, had been newly-created by the prime minister. He was personally selected by Sir Keir after the PM was impressed with his understanding of modern media challenges, The Telegraph reports. Mr Dinsmore began his career in journalism at the Scottish Sun in 1990, and rose to become its editor in 2006. He edited The Sun between 2013 and 2015, after which he was promoted to chief operating officer of News UK. The journalist was again promoted in 2022 to News UK's Executive Vice President, whilst retaining the COO role. He has earned plaudits for his media career, ranking 27th in the 2014 Media Guardian 100 and 67th in GQ magazine's 2015 'Most Connected Men in Britain' list. While parts of The Sun online went behind a paywall during Mr Dinsmore's tenure, he is credited with growing the paper's online subscriber base from an initial 117,000 to almost double, at 225,000. But the appointment is likely to prove controversial among some Labour MPs, especially representing from Liverpool, where there remains a concerted boycott of The Sun over its reporting of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster. Campaigners have also pointed to several controversies which took place during Mr Dinsmore's time at the tabloid newspaper. In 2016, the former Sun editor was convicted of breaching the Sexual Offences Act after the tabloid printed a photo of a teenage victim of a sexual offence in 2013, which did not conceal the victim's identity, and which happened during his tenure. The teenager was victim of footballer Adam Johnson, a former England player who was found guilty of sexual activity with the 15-year-old girl in 2016. Judge Howard Riddle said he was 'satisfied' Mr Dinsmore did not realise he was committing an offence. He was ordered to pay £1,300 costs and £1,000 in compensation to the victim. Shortly before Mr Dinsmore left the editor post, The Sun dropped its page 3 featuring topless models following prolonged outcry from campaigners. However, he was branded 'sexist of the year' in 2014 by campaign group End Violence Against Women, after initially resisting the move. In 2013, Mr Dinsmore said in an interview it was a 'good way of selling newspapers.' The former newspaper editor was also criticised for platforming Katie Hopkins during his tenure, during which time she held a weekly column promoting her as 'Britain's most controversial columnist.' Both Ms Hopkins and Mr Dinsmore were reported to the Metropolitan Police in 2015 for incitement to racial hatred over a column that appeared in The Sun. The piece saw Ms Hopkins describe asylum seekers looking to reach Britain as 'cockroaches' and suggested the government deploy 'gunships' to stop them landing on shore. Filing his report, barrister Peter Herbert, chair of the Society of Black Lawyers, said the column contained 'some of the most offensive, xenophobic and racist comments I have read in a British newspaper for some years.' While Ms Hopkins was questioned over the comments by police, the Met confirmed neither she nor Mr Dinsmore would be charged. Mr Dinsmore's appointment to Sir Keir's top team has been strongly criticised by campaign group Hacked Off, established in 2011 in response to the News of the World phone-hacking scandal. Launching a petition against his appoint, the group said accused Mr Dinsmore of overseeing 'endless and false denials that The Sun was involved in the phone hacking scandal; eventually exposed in January 2025, when The Sun was forced to apologise.' 'Appointing a former Sun editor to a publicly funded role is an insult to the taxpayer, and in particular to all those who were affected by the Hillsborough disaster and were smeared with despicable and false attacks by The Sun newspaper,' it adds.
The Guardian
10 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Hillsborough bereaved urge Starmer not to appoint ex-Sun editor to senior role
Some Hillsborough survivors and families of those killed in the disaster have urged Keir Starmer to reconsider appointing a former Sun editor to one of the government's most senior communications jobs. David Dinsmore, who edited the tabloid from 2013 to 2015 and has since become chief operating officer of its parent company, News UK, is due to become permanent secretary for communications. The role was created after the prime minister voiced concerns about the government's communications last year. The Guardian understands senior Labour figures also have concerns over the appointment, which has yet to be confirmed by the government. In a letter to Starmer, Hillsborough families – and others affected by 'scandal and state-endorsed abuse' – claim Dinsmore is 'manifestly unsuitable for public appointment' because of his long association with the Sun, citing its coverage of the disaster, for which the paper has since apologised. 'After the Hillsborough disaster, in the midst of unimaginable suffering among the bereaved and the survivors, the Sun newspaper published vicious lies about the conduct of fans. Graphic and false allegations cast the deceased and those who survived as barbaric, feckless and inhumane,' the letter states. The signatories warn that the Sun 'has not changed', saying it has opted against independent regulation and 'has continued to demonise ordinary people and marginalised communities'. 'For these reasons, we are deeply concerned by the proposed appointment of David Dinsmore to the role of permanent secretary for communications,' the letter states. Charlotte Hennessy, who lost her father, Jimmy Hennessy, at Hillsborough when she was six years old, said: 'Dinsmore suggested the only mistake the Sun made regarding Hillsborough was the headline. Not the lies, not the smears. 'If Keir Starmer really wants to deliver change he needs to get on with delivering the Hillsborough law he promised and backtrack on appointing someone so unsuitable for public office.' The letter also highlights that Dinsmore was convicted of breaching the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act after the tabloid printed a pixelated photograph of the victim of the disgraced footballer Adam Johnson. The judge in the case was satisfied Dinsmore did not know he was committing an offence and ordered that he pay £1,300 costs and offer to pay £1,000 in compensation to the girl for any distress caused. The letter states: 'As a senior executive of News UK, [Dinsmore] has been involved in the company's false denials of the Sun's commissioning of illegal activity throughout the 2000s.' The title has now admitted that 'incidents of unlawful activities' were carried out by private investigators working for it between 1996 and 2011. Steve Rotheram, the Labour mayor of the Liverpool city region, also raised concern about the appointment this week. 'For many people in our city, particularly those who fought for justice for the Hillsborough families, this appointment will be seen as a deeply insensitive choice, given the hurt caused to our communities unjustly targeted by that 'newspaper', Rupert Murdoch and his acolytes,' he wrote. 'I fully support the government's ambition to rebuild trust in politics. But appointments like this could risk undermining that effort. Trust can't be restored by drawing from the same networks that helped erode it.' Dinsmore started his career in journalism as a reporter for the Scottish Sun in 1990, becoming the title's editor in 2006. He has held a number of senior roles at the Sun including managing editor and helped to oversee the launch of its Sunday edition. A Cabinet Office spokesperson said no appointment had yet been made, so they would not comment on Dinsmore. News UK did not wish to comment.
The National
a day ago
- Politics
- The National
Labour MPs fume as Keir Starmer appoints former Sun editor to top job
Liverpool MPs Ian Byrne, Paula Barker and Kim Johnson have penned a joint letter to the Prime Minister calling on him to cancel the award of a top Government communications post to David Dinsmore. He was editor of The Scottish Sun for four years from 2006 before moving to London and working as editor of The Sun from 2013 to 2015. Dinsmore comes into the Government from a role as chief operating officer of News UK, the British arm of the Murdoch publishing empire. The Sun is deeply unpopular in Liverpool for slandering people from the city who lost their lives in the Hillsborough disaster in 1989 and the paper is referred to throughout the letter as The S*n. Under Dinsmore's watch, The Sun took a photograph of the 15-year-old victim of a paedophile from her Facebook page and published it after pixelating her face. He was fined for a breach of the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act after a judge ruled that it remained identifiable to people who were familiar with her social media profile. In 2014, he was named 'sexist of the year' by the End Violence Against Women group which campaigned against The Sun's infamous Page Three. He was mockingly praised for his 'valiant persistence in peddling pornography under the guise of 'news''. These concerns were raised by the three Labour MPs who also told Starmer that his appointment would upset their constituents due to the Hillsborough connection. The letter raised 'grave concerns' about Dinsmore's appointment 'at the same time promising Hillsborough families and survivors that the Hillsborough Law will be introduced'. READ MORE: Donald Trump responds to John Swinney's indyref2 plan It added: 'One of the key asks of the Hillsborough Law we are campaigning for is to ensure that senior Government officials and civil servants would be legally compelled to tell the truth at inquests or inquiries following a tragedy at the hands of the state. 'Prime Minister, what sort of message do you believe your appointment of Dinsmore into a senior Government role sends to Hillsborough families and survivors, who have lived through so much pain and suffering at the hands of the publication he has previously edited?' (Image: Francesco Guidicini/The Sunday Times) The letter also noted that The Sun has faced repeated accusations of 'disinformation, Islamophobia, misogyny and more'. Dinsmore's new role will be permanent secretary for communications, a new position created to improve the Government's messaging to the public. It is a civil service rather than political role. News UK and the UK Government were approached for comment.
The Independent
a day ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Who is David Dinsmore? The former Sun editor given top comms job by Starmer
David Dinsmore was editor of the tabloid newspaper between 2013 and 2015. He will now act as a senior civil servant responsible for overseeing and improving government communications. Whitehall sources indicate Mr Dinsmore's role, permanent secretary for communications, had been newly-created by the prime minister. He was personally selected by Sir Keir after the PM was impressed with his understanding of modern media challenges, The Telegraph reports. Mr Dinsmore began his career in journalism at the Scottish Sun in 1990, and rose to become its editor in 2006. He edited The Sun between 2013 and 2015, after which he was promoted to chief operating officer of News UK. The journalist was again promoted in 2022 to News UK's Executive Vice President, whilst retaining the COO role. He has earned plaudits for his media career, ranking 27th in the 2014 Media Guardian 100 and 67th in GQ magazine's 2015 'Most Connected Men in Britain' list. While parts of The Sun online went behind a paywall during Mr Dinsmore's tenure, he is credited with growing the paper's online subscriber base from an initial 117,000 to almost double, at 225,000. But the appointment is likely to prove controversial among some Labour MPs, especially representing from Liverpool, where there remains a concerted boycott of The Sun over its reporting of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster. Campaigners have also pointed to several controversies which took place during Mr Dinsmore's time at the tabloid newspaper. In 2016, the former Sun editor was convicted of breaching the Sexual Offences Act after the tabloid printed a photo of a teenage victim of a sexual offence in 2013, which did not conceal the victim's identity, and which happened during his tenure. The teenager was victim of footballer Adam Johnson, a former England player who was found guilty of sexual activity with the 15-year-old girl in 2016. Judge Howard Riddle said he was 'satisfied' Mr Dinsmore did not realise he was committing an offence. He was ordered to pay £1,300 costs and £1,000 in compensation to the victim. Shortly before Mr Dinsmore left the editor post, The Sun dropped its page 3 featuring topless models following prolonged outcry from campaigners. However, he was branded 'sexist of the year' in 2014 by campaign group End Violence Against Women, after initially resisting the move. In 2013, Mr Dinsmore said in an interview it was a 'good way of selling newspapers.' The former newspaper editor was also criticised for platforming Katie Hopkins during his tenure, during which time she held a weekly column promoting her as 'Britain's most controversial columnist.' Both Ms Hopkins and Mr Dinsmore were reported to the Metropolitan Police in 2015 for incitement to racial hatred over a column that appeared in The Sun. The piece saw Ms Hopkins describe asylum seekers looking to reach Britain as 'cockroaches' and suggested the government deploy 'gunships' to stop them landing on shore. Filing his report, barrister Peter Herbert, chair of the Society of Black Lawyers, said the column contained 'some of the most offensive, xenophobic and racist comments I have read in a British newspaper for some years.' While Ms Hopkins was questioned over the comments by police, the Met confirmed neither she nor Mr Dinsmore would be charged. Mr Dinsmore's appointment to Sir Keir's top team has been strongly criticised by campaign group Hacked Off, established in 2011 in response to the News of the World phone-hacking scandal. Launching a petition against his appoint, the group said accused Mr Dinsmore of overseeing 'endless and false denials that The Sun was involved in the phone hacking scandal; eventually exposed in January 2025, when The Sun was forced to apologise.' 'Appointing a former Sun editor to a publicly funded role is an insult to the taxpayer, and in particular to all those who were affected by the Hillsborough disaster and were smeared with despicable and false attacks by The Sun newspaper,' it adds.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former Sun editor appointed communications chief at heart of Starmer Government
A former editor of the Sun will take up a senior communications role at the heart of Government. David Dinsmore, who was editor of the tabloid newspaper between 2013 and 2015, will serve as a senior civil servant responsible for overseeing and improving Government communications. The Telegraph newspaper, which first reported his appointment, described the role as a newly created position which it called 'permanent secretary for communications', created after the Prime Minister voiced concerns about Government communications late last year. The PA news agency understands he will be undertaking a role which replaces Simon Baugh, who was the chief executive of the Government Communications Service. Sir Keir Starmer is said to have interviewed shortlisted candidates for the role, and to have been impressed with Mr Dinsmore's understanding of communication challenges, according to the Telegraph. Mr Dinsmore began his career in journalism at the Scottish Sun in 1990, and rose to become its editor in 2006. He edited the Sun between 2013 and 2015, after which he was promoted to chief operating officer of News UK. Under his stewardship, the newspaper dropped its page 3 featuring topless models, following prolonged outcry from campaigners. Mr Dinsmore was branded 'sexist of the year' in 2014 by campaign group End Violence Against Women, after holding out against the move. He is the latest in a string of prominent tabloid newspaper men to have moved into communications roles at the heart of Government, following in the footsteps of senior Blair government media adviser Alastair Campbell, and Andy Coulson, who worked in Lord David Cameron's government. Mr Dinsmore's appointment could prove controversial among Labour MPs, especially those from Liverpool, where there remains a concerted boycott of the Sun over its reporting of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster.
