Tony Blair has endorsed George Osborne’s appointment as editor of the Evening Standard newspaper, saying the former UK chancellor is a “highly capable guy” whose entry into journalism would “make politics more interesting”.
News of Mr Osborne’s job move caused consternation in both Fleet Street and Westminster last week, after he confirmed he would combine the editorship with his four other jobs as MP for Tatton, consultant to asset management firm BlackRock, chair of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, and Kissinger fellowship at the McCain Institute in Washington DC.
Addressing the Evening Standard newsroom on Friday Mr Osborne, who has never worked as a full-time journalist, told staff: “I’ve run a country, but I’ve never run a newspaper.”
When asked for his view on the appointment, former UK prime minister Mr Blair told the BBC’s The Andrew Marr Show: “I don’t know whether having those jobs is do-able or not but I think it’s a great thing for the Evening Standard, why not? He’s a highly capable guy and it should make politics more interesting.”
The comments fuel suggestions that Mr Osborne — who was summarily sacked as chancellor when Theresa May entered Downing Street — will use his editorship to criticise the prime minister and undermine her on Brexit. He has already made it clear that he opposes Mrs May’s stance on major questions including access to the EU single market, free trade and immigration.
Nicky Morgan, another former cabinet minister who lost her job last summer, also backed Mr Osborne’s decision, telling ITV: “When you are fired, as we all were last summer, what did the government expect? That we were going to just all disappear?”
“We are going to make our voices heard . . . There’s a liberal conservative point of view to be talked about and we are going to do that,” said Ms Morgan, who is currently opposing the prime minister’s drive to expand the number of grammar schools in England.
However, Mr Osborne’s party colleague Ruth Davidson, leader of the Scottish Conservatives, sounded a more sceptical note.
“[When I heard about the job] I have to say I thought, ‘Well, he’s a better man than me’”, Ms Davidson told the BBC. “I spent 10 years as a journalist, I’ve now spent six years as a politician and I’m not sure you can combine them.”
Mr Osborne’s new job has also prompted parliament’s Committee on Standards in Public Life to review its rules on MPs taking second jobs.
Lord Bew, who chairs the committee, told the Sunday Times: “We have not ruled out MPs having second jobs, quite deliberately, up until now, but we now have to look again at our rules.”
“We are going to discuss whether our rules on second jobs need to be changed in light of this. We had something that up to a degree worked. It now seems to be getting into rockier waters,” he said.
The crossbench peer added that editing a newspaper required a time commitment that might not be compatible with work as an MP.
“Unless someone sleeps two hours a night, that’s the only way I can see how this is not [too much],” he said. “You can see immediately why certain things might fit it and this one doesn’t. This is not personal to George Osborne. But raises the issue of how much time MPs have to devote to their parliamentary work.”
The committee is due to meet on Thursday to discuss the matter.