Isabel Oakeshott

Isabel Euphemia Oakeshott (born 12 June 1974) is a British political journalist and broadcaster.

She was the political editor of ''The Sunday Times'' and is the co-author, with Michael Ashcroft, of an unauthorised biography of former British prime minister David Cameron, '' Call Me Dave'', and of various other non-fiction titles, including ''White Flag? An examination of the UK's defence capability'', also written with Ashcroft, and '' Farmageddon'', co-authored with Philip Lymbery.

Early life

Oakeshott was born in Westminster, London. She attended St. George's School, Edinburgh and Gordonstoun School in Moray, Scotland, before graduating in 1996 with a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Bristol.

Journalism career

Oakeshott began her career in journalism working in Scotland for the ''East Lothian Courier'', ''Edinburgh Evening News'', '' Daily Record'', ''Sunday Mirror'' and ''Daily Mail'', before returning to London and joining the ''Evening Standard'' as the Health correspondent.

After three years, Oakeshott moved to ''The Sunday Times'' in 2006 as deputy political editor, becoming political editor in 2010, and remained until 2014. Oakeshott was awarded the title "Political Journalist of the Year" at the 2011 The Press Awards.

In 2013, while at ''The Sunday Times'', she persuaded Vicky Pryce to implicate her estranged husband, former Liberal Democrat MP and Cabinet minister Chris Huhne, in having committed the offence of perverting the course of justice, leading to the case ''R v Huhne'', and to both Pryce and Huhne being convicted and imprisoned.

Oakeshott has appeared as a panelist on the BBC's ''Daily Politics'', as well as on BBC TV's ''Question Time'', and has been a contributor to Sky News' ''Press Preview'' programme.

Between February 2016 and early 2017, Oakeshott was the ''Daily Mail''s political editor-at-large. In 2019, she wrote a series of articles for ''The Mail on Sunday'' based on leaked diplomatic memos written by the British Ambassador to the United States Sir Kim Darroch, in which he criticised the Trump administration. The leak led to his resignation.

In July 2019, ''The Guardian'' amended an article by its parliamentary sketch writer John Crace which contained a sentence that had potentially implied that Oakeshott obtained the Darroch emails by sleeping with Nigel Farage or Arron Banks. At the time, she called the comment "demonstrably false and extraordinarily sexist". The newspaper later apologised to Oakeshott.

In October 2021, she joined GB News as the presenter of the Friday lunchtime political programme ''The Briefing with Isabel Oakeshott'', hosting 22 hour-long episodes until the end of March 2022.

In April 2022, it was announced that she would be joining the new TalkTV channel.

Writing career

Oakeshott has written a number of non-fiction books. ''Inside Out'', co-authored with, or ghostwritten for, Labour Party insider Peter Watt, is an inside look at New Labour. '' Farmageddon: the true cost of cheap meat'', co-authored with Philip Lymbery, investigates the effects of industrial-scale meat production.

''Call Me Dave'', co-authored with Michael Ashcroft, is an unauthorised biography of former British prime minister David Cameron. One of the details in the book – that Cameron, during his university days, allegedly performed a sex act involving a dead pig – caused controversy upon publication. However, the unsubstantiated story was dependent on hearsay, and Oakeshott subsequently conceded her source could have been "deranged".

''The Bad Boys of Brexit'' is an inside account of the Leave.EU campaign during the run-up to the Brexit referendum, which she had ghostwritten for UKIP donor and Leave.EU funder Arron Banks. Oakeshott is a supporter of Brexit. She was in possession of details about Russia's cultivation and handling of Banks, that he was in regular contact with Russian officials from 2015 to 2017, but publicly downplayed Russian involvement with him.

She co-authored with Ashcroft a book on the state of the British Armed Forces, ''White Flag?'' in 2018.

Personal life

Oakeshott was married to Nigel Rosser. They have three children. In 2018, she separated from her husband and began a relationship with businessman, and future Reform UK leader, Richard Tice.

She is related to life peer Matthew Oakeshott and the liberal conservative philosopher Michael Oakeshott.

Bibliography

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References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Oakeshott, Isabel
1974 births
Living people
Alumni of the University of Bristol
English non-fiction writers
English political journalists
English political writers
London Evening Standard people
People educated at Gordonstoun
The Sunday Times people
Writers from London