Alex Brummer (born 25 May 1949) is an English economics commentator, working as a journalist, editor, and author. He has been the city editor of the ''
Daily Mail
The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...
'' (London) since May 2000, where he writes a daily column on economics and finance. He was the financial editor of ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide ...
'' between 1990 and 1999.
He is a regular contributor to ''
The Jewish Chronicle
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...
'' (London), writing extensively on business, the media, the
Holocaust
The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...
, and Middle East policy.
Brummer also writes "The Money" article for the ''
New Statesman
The ''New Statesman'' is a British political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney and Beatrice Webb and other leading members o ...
'' and is a member of the editorial advisory board of ''
Jewish Renaissance
''Jewish Renaissance'' is a quarterly cultural magazine, founded in October 2001, covering Jewish culture, arts and communities in Britain and beyond. It is edited by Rebecca Taylor, a former News Editor at '' Time Out London''.
Scope and co ...
'' magazine.
He is a Vice-President of the
Board of Deputies of British Jews
The Board of Deputies of British Jews, commonly referred to as the Board of Deputies, is the largest and second oldest Jewish communal organisation in the United Kingdom, after only the Initiation Society which was founded in 1745. Established ...
.
Career
Born in
Brighton, he has a degree in economics and politics from the
University of Southampton
, mottoeng = The Heights Yield to Endeavour
, type = Public research university
, established = 1862 – Hartley Institution1902 – Hartley University College1913 – Southampton University Coll ...
and an MBA from
Bradford University
The University of Bradford is a public research university located in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. A plate glass university, it received its royal charter in 1966, making it the 40th university to be created in Britain, but ...
Management Centre. Brummer began his career at
J. Walter Thompson and
Haymarket Publishing between 1970 and 1972. He then joined ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide ...
'' as the Financial Correspondent. He was the main reporter on the fringe banking crisis of 1973/4 and the 1976 sterling crisis.
In 1979, he became the US financial and Washington correspondent for ''The Guardian''. He covered the
1980
Events January
* January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission.
* January 6 – Global Positioning Syst ...
,
1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast As ...
, and
1988 US presidential elections for the newspaper. His work in this area earned him the 1989
Overseas Press Club
The Overseas Press Club of America (OPC) was founded in 1939 in New York City by a group of foreign correspondents. The wire service reporter Carol Weld was a founding member, as was the war correspondent Peggy Hull. The club seeks to maintain a ...
award for the best foreign correspondent in the US. Brummer then took up positions as a foreign editor and financial editor, and completed his twenty-six-year tenure at ''The Guardian'' as associate editor.
He worked as consultant editor for the ''Financial Mail'' on Sunday between 1999 and 2000 and was voted Financial Journalist of the Year at the
British Press Awards
The Press Awards, formerly the British Press Awards, is an annual ceremony that celebrates the best of British journalism.
History
Established in 1962 by '' The People'' and '' World's Press News'', the first award ceremony for the then-named ...
. In 2000, he became the city editor of the ''
Daily Mail
The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...
''. Brummer covered the 2003
Iraq War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق ( Kurdish)
, partof = the Iraq conflict and the War on terror
, image ...
for the ''Daily Mail'' from
Washington, D.C., and led the newspaper's coverage on the 2007 run on
Northern Rock
Northern Rock, formerly the Northern Rock Building Society, was a British bank. Based at Regent Centre in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom, Northern Rock was originally a building society. It demutualisation, demutualised and became North ...
, collapse of
Lehman Brothers
Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. ( ) was an American global financial services firm founded in 1847. Before filing for bankruptcy in 2008, Lehman was the fourth-largest investment bank in the United States (behind Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, a ...
, and subsequent
credit crunch
A credit crunch (also known as a credit squeeze, credit tightening or credit crisis) is a sudden reduction in the general availability of loans (or credit) or a sudden tightening of the conditions required to obtain a loan from banks. A credit cr ...
.
On 4 February 2009, Brummer appeared as a witness at the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...
Treasury Select Committee
The House of Commons Treasury Committee (often referred to as the Treasury Select Committee) is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The remit of the committee is to examine the expenditure, administ ...
, along with
Robert Peston
Robert James Kenneth Peston (born 25 April 1960) is an English journalist, presenter, and author. He is the political editor of ITV News and host of the weekly political discussion show '' Peston'' (previously '' Peston on Sunday''). From 2006 ...
(BBC),
Lionel Barber
Lionel Barber (born 18 January 1955) is an English journalist. He was editor of the ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') from 2005 to 2020.
Barber worked at ''The Scotsman'' and ''The Sunday Times'' before working at the ''FT'' from the mid-1980s.
Bar ...
(''Financial Times''),
Simon Jenkins
Sir Simon David Jenkins (born 10 June 1943) is a British author, a newspaper columnist and editor. He was editor of the ''Evening Standard'' from 1976 to 1978 and of ''The Times'' from 1990 to 1992.
Jenkins chaired the National Trust from 20 ...
(''The Guardian''), and
Jeff Randall Jeff Randall may refer to:
*Jeff Randall (journalist)
Jeff William Randall (born 3 October 1954) is an English former business journalist and presenter, who presented ''Jeff Randall Live'', a business and politics show on Sky News, until steppin ...
(Sky News) to answer questions on the role of the media in financial stability and "whether financial journalists should operate under any form of reporting restrictions during banking crises".
Honours
In 2014 Brummer was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of the University by Bradford University.
Books
*''
James Hanson: a Biography'' (London: Fourth Estate, 1994)
*''
Arnold Weinstock: The Life and Times of Britain's Premier Industrialist'' (London: HarperCollinsBusiness, 1998).
*''The Crunch: The Scandals of
Northern Rock
Northern Rock, formerly the Northern Rock Building Society, was a British bank. Based at Regent Centre in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom, Northern Rock was originally a building society. It demutualisation, demutualised and became North ...
and the Looming Credit Crisis'' (London: Random House Business Books, 2008).
*''The Crunch: How Greed and Incompetence Sparked the Credit Crisis'' (London: Random House Business Books, 2009).
*''The Great Pensions Robbery: How the politicians betrayed retirement'' (London: Random House Business Books, 2011).
*''Britain for Sale: British Companies in Foreign Hands – the Hidden Threat to Our Economy'' (London: Random House Business Books, 2012).
*''Bad Banks: Greed, Incompetence and the Next Global Crisis'' (London: Random House Business Book, 2014).

*''The Great British Reboot: How the UK Can Thrive in a Turbulent World'' (London: Yale University Press, 2020).
Prizes
*Best Foreign Correspondent in the United States,
Overseas Press Club
The Overseas Press Club of America (OPC) was founded in 1939 in New York City by a group of foreign correspondents. The wire service reporter Carol Weld was a founding member, as was the war correspondent Peggy Hull. The club seeks to maintain a ...
(1989).
*Financial Journalist of the Year,
British Press Awards
The Press Awards, formerly the British Press Awards, is an annual ceremony that celebrates the best of British journalism.
History
Established in 1962 by '' The People'' and '' World's Press News'', the first award ceremony for the then-named ...
(1999).
*Best City Journalist, Media Awards (2000).
*Senior Financial Journalist of the Year, Wincott Prize (2001).
*Newspaper Journalist of the Year, Work Foundation (2002).
*Business Journalist of the Year,
World Leadership Forum
The Leadership Forum (previously the World Leadership Forum, Ltd.) was a non-governmental organisation devoted to the development of leadership in a number of key areas including communication, education and policy, that operated from October 2000 ...
(2006).
*Commentator of the Year,
World Leadership Forum
The Leadership Forum (previously the World Leadership Forum, Ltd.) was a non-governmental organisation devoted to the development of leadership in a number of key areas including communication, education and policy, that operated from October 2000 ...
(2006).
*Magazine Commentator of the Year (
New Statesman
The ''New Statesman'' is a British political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney and Beatrice Webb and other leading members o ...
), The Comment Awards (2009).
*Financial Journalist of the Year,
City of London Corporation
The City of London Corporation, officially and legally the Mayor and Commonalty and Citizens of the City of London, is the municipal governing body of the City of London, the historic centre of London and the location of much of the United King ...
(2013).
Positions
*''
The Daily Mail
The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily Middle-market newspaper, middle-market Tabloid journalism, tabloid newspaper and online newspaper, news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman ...
'' City Editor (2000–present)
*''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide ...
'' Assistant Editor (1998–1999)
*''The Guardian'' Financial Editor (1990–1999)
*''The Guardian'' Foreign Editor (1989)
*''The Guardian''
Washington Bureau Chief (1985–1989)
*''The Guardian'' Washington
Correspondent
A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is usually a journalist or commentator for a magazine, or an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, locat ...
(1979–1985).
Online sources
Alex Brummer's ''New Statesman'' articlesAlex Brummer's ''Jewish Chronicle'' articles*
Who's Who (London: A & C Black, 2006)
*
Debrett's
Debrett's () is a British professional coaching company, publisher and authority on etiquette and behaviour, founded in 1769 with the publication of the first edition of ''The New Peerage''. The company takes its name from its founder, John De ...
People of Today (London: Debrett's Peerage, 2006)
Willings Press Guide(Cision UK, 2007)
Israel's economy: the in-trayFathom: For a deeper understanding of Israel and the region 30 January 2013
*''First Industrial Nation meets Start-Up Nation'' i
FathomSpring (2016)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brummer, Alex
1949 births
Living people
Daily Mail journalists
The Guardian journalists
English male journalists
English Jewish writers
Alumni of the University of Southampton
Alumni of the University of Bradford