James Forsyth (born 1981) is a British political aide and former political journalist. After serving as political 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 ''The ...
'' magazine since 2009, he was appointed
by
Rishi Sunak in December 2022.
Early life
Forsyth attended
Winchester College
Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of ...
and
Jesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's full name is The College of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint John the Evangelist and the glorious Virgin Saint Radegund, near Cambridge. Its common name comes fr ...
.
[ ]
Journalism career
Forsyth joined ''
Foreign Policy'' magazine as assistant editor
before launching Coffee House, ''
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 ''The ...
''s political blog, in 2007.
He was appointed deputy editor, online, of ''The Spectator'' in 2008
and political editor in 2009.
He is also a weekly columnist for ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...
'' on a Friday, previously writing for ''
The Sun'' on Saturdays and previously 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 ...
''.
He is an advisory board member of the
ResPublica think tank in
Westminster
Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster.
The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...
.
Political career
On 24 December 2022, Forsyth was hired by Prime Minister
Rishi Sunak as his political secretary.
Personal life
Forsyth has been married to the journalist
Allegra Stratton since 2011. She was appointed as the Downing Street Press Secretary under Prime Minister
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 F ...
in November 2020.
[ ] They live in
Canonbury
Canonbury is a residential area of Islington in the London Borough of Islington, North London. It is roughly in the area between Essex Road, Upper Street and Cross Street and either side of St Paul's Road.
In 1253 land in the area was granted to ...
in
Islington with their two children.
He is close friends with
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 i ...
and
Conservative Party leader Rishi Sunak; they were contemporaries at Winchester College and are godparents to each other's children. Sunak was best man at Forsyth's wedding to Stratton in 2011.
References
External links
James Forsyth''The Spectator''
1981 births
Living people
British male journalists
Alumni of Jesus College, Cambridge
People educated at Winchester College
The Spectator people
{{UK-journalist-stub