Rachel Sabiha Johnson (born 3 September 1965) is a British journalist, television presenter, and author who has appeared frequently on political discussion panels, including '' The Pledge'' on

Sky News Sky News is a British free-to-air television news channel and organisation. Sky News is distributed via an English-language radio news service, and through online channels. It is owned by Sky Group, a division of Comcast. John Ryley is the he ...

and

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

's debate programme, '' Question Time''. In January 2018, she participated in the 21st series of '' Celebrity Big Brother'' and was evicted second. She was the lead candidate for Change UK for the

South West England South West England, or the South West of England, is one of nine official regions of England. It consists of the counties of Bristol, Cornwall (including the Isles of Scilly), Dorset, Devon, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. Cities ...

constituency in the

2019 European Parliament election The 2019 European Parliament election was held between 23 and 26 May 2019, the ninth parliamentary election since the first direct elections in 1979. A total of 751 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) represent more than 512 million peop ...

Early life and education

Johnson is the daughter of former

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

MEP Stanley Johnson and artist

Charlotte Johnson Wahl Charlotte Maria Offlow Johnson Wahl (''née'' Fawcett; 29 May 1942 – 13 September 2021) was a British artist. She was the mother of politician Boris Johnson, as well as the journalist Rachel Johnson and the politician Jo Johnson. Early lif ...

(''née'' Fawcett). She is the younger sister of

Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as ...

, the former

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

of the United Kingdom and Conservative MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip; and the elder sister of

Jo Johnson Joseph Edmund Johnson, Baron Johnson of Marylebone, (born 23 December 1971) is a British politician who was Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation from July to September 2019, as well as previously from 2015 to 2 ...

, former Conservative MP for

Orpington Orpington is a town and area in south east London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is 13.4 miles (21.6 km) south east of Charing Cross. On the south-eastern edge of the Greater London Built-up Area, it is south of St ...

. On her father's side, Johnson is a great-granddaughter of Ali Kemal, a liberal Circassian-Turkish journalist and the interior minister in the government of Damat Ferid Pasha, Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire, who was murdered during the

Turkish War of Independence The Turkish War of Independence "War of Liberation", also known figuratively as ''İstiklâl Harbi'' "Independence War" or ''Millî Mücadele'' "National Struggle" (19 May 1919 – 24 July 1923) was a series of military campaigns waged by th ...

in 1922. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, her grandfather and great-aunt were recognised as British subjects and took their grandmother's maiden name of Johnson. On her mother's side she is a granddaughter of

Sir James Fawcett Sir James Edmund Sandford Fawcett (16 April 1913 – 24 June 1991) was a British barrister. He was a member of the European Commission for Human Rights from 1962 to 1984, and its president from 1972 to 1981, and was knighted in 1984.‘ ...

, a prominent barrister and president of the European Commission of Human Rights. Johnson's middle name, Sabiha, means "morning" in Arabic and is often used as a given name in Turkey. It was the name of the second wife of her great-grandfather, Ali Kemal, who was a daughter of Zeki Pasha. Stanley Johnson befriended his paternal half-uncle

Zeki Kuneralp Zeki Kuneralp (5 October 1914 – 26 July 1998) was a Turkish diplomat, who was brought up in exile in Switzerland after the murder of his father, Ali Kemal Bey, during the Turkish War of Independence. After his education he returned to Tur ...

, Sabiha's son, when Kuneralp was Turkish ambassador to the

Court of St James's The Court of St James's is the royal court for the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. All ambassadors to the United Kingdom are formally received by the court. All ambassadors from the United Kingdom are formally accredited from the court – ...

in the 1960s. She was educated at Winsford First School on

Exmoor Exmoor is loosely defined as an area of hilly open moorland in west Somerset and north Devon in South West England. It is named after the River Exe, the source of which is situated in the centre of the area, two miles north-west of Simonsbath ...

, Primrose Hill Primary in Camden, north London, the European School of Brussels, the independent Ashdown House School in East Sussex,

Bryanston School Bryanston School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) located next to the village of Bryanston, and near the town of Blandford Forum, in Dorset in South West England. It was founded in 1928. ...

in Dorset and St Paul's Girls' School. In 1984 she spent three months as a kibbutz volunteer and then went to

New College, Oxford New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1379 by William of Wykeham in conjunction with Winchester College as its feeder school, New College is one of the oldest colleges at ...

, to read Classics ( Literae Humaniores); there she edited the student paper ''

Isis Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kin ...

'' and graduated with a 2:1.

Journalism career

Rachel Johnson and Emily Maitlis FT Summer Party 2014

In 1989 she joined the staff of the ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...

'', becoming the first female graduate trainee at the paper, where she wrote about the economy. She spent a year on secondment to the Foreign Office Policy Planning Staff in 1992–93. She moved to the BBC in 1994, but left to move to

Washington DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

as a columnist and freelancer in 1997. She has written weekly columns for ''

The Sunday Telegraph ''The Sunday Telegraph'' is a British broadsheet newspaper A broadsheet is the largest newspaper format and is characterized by long vertical pages, typically of . Other common newspaper formats include the smaller Berliner and tabloid ...

'', ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...

'', the ''

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

'' and other regular columns for ''Easy Living'' and ''

She She most commonly refers to: *She (pronoun), the third person singular, feminine, nominative case pronoun in modern English. She or S.H.E. may also refer to: Literature and films *'' She: A History of Adventure'', an 1887 novel by H. Rider Hagga ...

'' magazines, as well as the ''Financial Times''. She is a contributing editor of ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''Th ...

'' and until 2009 was a weekly columnist on ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...

'' and the ''Evening Standard'', among other publications. She now writes a weekly column in ''

The Mail on Sunday ''The Mail on Sunday'' is a British conservative newspaper, published in a tabloid format. It is the biggest-selling Sunday newspaper in the UK and was launched in 1982 by Lord Rothermere. Its sister paper, the ''Daily Mail'', was first pub ...

'', a column for '' The Big Issue'' and a column for '' The Oldie''. In April 2014 she was a judge in the BBC ''

Woman's Hour ''Woman's Hour'' is a radio magazine programme broadcast in the United Kingdom on the BBC Light Programme, BBC Radio 2, and later BBC Radio 4. It has been on the air since 1946. History Created by Norman Collins and originally presented ...

'' power list 2014. She sits on the boards of

Bright Blue Bright Blue was a South African band that was prominent on the progressive scene in the final years of apartheid. The band's name "reflected the paradox of being bright in a very blue time" but was also a tribute to Chelsea FC. They are best ...

, the modernising Tory think-tank, and

Intelligence Squared Intelligence Squared is a media company that organizes live debates and other cultural events around the world. It was founded in 2002 in London, where its head office is based, and has affiliates in the US, Australia, and Hong Kong. The debat ...

, the international debate forum. In March 2014 she appeared in ''

Famous, Rich and Hungry ''Famous, Rich and Hungry'' is a British factual television series that was first broadcast on BBC One on 12 March 2014. The two-part series is part of the ''Sport Relief'' 2014 season of programming. It shows Cheryl Fergison, Rachel Johnson, ...

'' on BBC1. She is a panellist on

' weekly debate show, ''The Pledge''.

''The Lady''

In September 2009, Johnson became the ninth editor of '' The Lady'', a weekly magazine established in 1885. Her first few months were the subject of a

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

documentary entitled ''The Lady and the Revamp''; this was nominated for a Grierson Award. She was replaced as editor by Matt Warren in January 2012. In March 2013 she presented an hour-long documentary for

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

entitled ''How to Be a Lady: An Elegant History''.

Literary career

Johnson's ''Shire Hell'' won the 2008 Bad Sex in Fiction Prize, which she described as being an "absolute honour". Her short story "Severely Gifted" appeared in ''The Sunday Times'' on 21 December 2008.

Political career

Johnson was a member of the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

from 2008 to 2011, but later joined the Liberal Democrats in the run up to the 2017 general election because of the Conservative support for

Brexit Brexit (; a portmanteau of "British exit") was the Withdrawal from the European Union, withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) at 23:00 Greenwich Mean Time, GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February 2020 Central Eur ...

. Johnson then considered becoming a Lib Dem candidate in a seat in the West Country, but was barred under the party's rules, having been a member for less than a year. In April 2019, she joined the new anti-Brexit party Change UK and was the lead candidate on the party list in

at the

. She later lamented this decision, describing herself as the "rat that jumped onto a sinking ship" and criticised the party leadership's focus-group attitude to decision-making structure and added that Change UK was a "terrible" name. As of February 2021, she remains listed on the board of directors of

, even though she left the Conservatives in 2011.

Personal life

Johnson is married to Ivo Dawnay, a descendant of

William Dawnay, 7th Viscount Downe William Henry Dawnay, 7th Viscount Downe (15 May 1812 – 26 January 1857) was a British politician. Background Downe was the son of the Reverend William Henry Dawnay, 6th Viscount Downe, Rector of Sessay and Thormanby in North Yorkshire. Polit ...

, and maternal grandson of Patrick Boyle, 8th Earl of Glasgow. Dawnay is a director and consultant with the

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

. They have three children. Johnson lives in

Notting Hill Notting Hill is a district of West London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Notting Hill is known for being a cosmopolitan and multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting Hill Carnival and Portobello Road Ma ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lor ...

Bibliography

*''The Oxford Myth'' (Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1988) *''The Mummy Diaries'' (Penguin, 2004) *''Notting Hell'' (Penguin, 2006) *''Shire Hell'' (2008) *''In A Good Place'' (2009) *''A Diary of The Lady, My First Year as Editor'' (Penguin, 2010) *''A Diary of The Lady, My first Year and a Half'' (2011) *''Winter Games'' (2012) *''Fresh Hell'' (2015) *''Rake's Progress: My Political Midlife Crisis'' (2020) *''Rake's Progress: The Madcap True Tale of My Political Midlife Crisis'' (2021)

References

External links

*
Authors On Tour Live Podcast
Johnson discusses her novel ''Notting Hell''
How To Be A Lady: An Elegant History
with Rachel Johnson *
Rachel Johnson on LBC
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Rachel 1965 births Living people English people of Circassian descent English people of German descent English people of French descent English people of Turkish descent English people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent English people of Russian-Jewish descent People educated at Ashdown House People educated at St Paul's Girls' School People educated at Bryanston School Alumni of New College, Oxford Alumni of the European Schools English journalists English writers People from Westminster The Sunday Times people English women non-fiction writers English women journalists Change UK politicians LBC radio presenters Big Brother (British TV series) contestants Boris Johnson family