Andrew Marr joins New Statesman as chief political commentator

‘I have been looking for partners who won’t be leaning on my shoulder as I write,’ says long-serving BBC man

Veteran broadcaster to expand opportunities for expressing opinions after BBC departure (Getty Images)

Andrew Marr will become the New Statesman’s chief political commentator when he leaves the BBC early next year.

The veteran journalist announced last month he would quit the broadcaster after some two decades there, including 16 years presenting his flagship weekend programme on BBC One.

He said he was leaving to take up a role with Global Media and Entertainment, the radio group whose headline stations include LBC and Classic FM.

Now, the New Statesman has announced Mr Marr will begin employment in February as its top political writer, on top of that radio work.

The left-leaning magazine said Mr Marr would produce a weekly column in addition to other, more general contributions.

Its editor-in-chief, Jason Cowley, said he hoped the appointment would “make the New Statesman a destination for readers across the political spectrum”.

Mr Marr, 62, added: “It’s a huge privilege to be joining one of the great titles of British political journalism, the paper of Orwell, Priestley and Ali Smith.

“I grew up learning how to think by reading Christopher Hitchens and other NS writers and I’m thrilled to be there as part of my new life.

“I have been looking for partners who won’t be leaning on my shoulder as I write, and it seems I have found them.”

In its statement, the Statesman said it was currently enjoying “considerable growth” thanks to a rise in paid subscriptions during 2020.

Mr Marr’s desire to be free of the constraints of BBC journalism – the requirement to be impartial and therefore avoid voicing opinions – was clear when he announced his departure in mid-November.

With coronavirus, Brexit and other issues clouding the horizon, there will be no shortage of opportunities for comment.

He tweeted at the time: “I think British politics and public life are going to go through an even more turbulent decade, and as I’ve said, I am keen to get my own voice back.”