Sir Simon David Jenkins (born 10 June 1943) is a British author, a newspaper columnist and editor. He was editor of 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 ...

'' from 1976 to 1978 and of ''

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'' ( ...

'' from 1990 to 1992. Jenkins chaired 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 ...

from 2008 to 2014. He currently writes columns for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

''.

Early life

Jenkins was born , in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...

, England. His father, Daniel Thomas Jenkins, was a Welsh professor of divinity at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

and a Minister in the Congregational and then United Reformed Church. He was educated at

Mill Hill School Mill Hill School is a 13–18 mixed independent, day and boarding school in Mill Hill, London, England that was established in 1807. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. History A committee of Nonconformis ...

and St John's College,

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, where he earned a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics.

Career

Journalism

After graduating from the University of Oxford, Jenkins initially worked at '' Country Life'' magazine, before joining the '' Times Educational Supplement.'' He was then features editor and columnist on the ''

'' before editing the Insight pages of ''

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 ...

''. From 1976 to 1978 he was editor of the ''Evening Standard'', before becoming political editor of ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Eco ...

'' from 1979 to 1986. He edited ''

'' from 1990 to 1992, and since then has been a columnist for ''The Times'' and ''

''. In 1998 he received the '' What the Papers Say'' Journalist of the Year award. In January 2005, he announced he was ending his 15-year association with ''The Times'' to write a book, before joining ''The Guardian'' as a columnist. He retained a column at ''The Sunday Times'' and was a contributing blogger at ''

The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

''. He gave up both on becoming chairman of the

in 2008, when he also resumed an occasional column for the ''Evening Standard''.

Opinions

In April 2009, ''The Guardian'' withdrew one of Jenkins' articles from its website after

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election install ...

leader and South African president-elect

Jacob Zuma Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma (; born 12 April 1942) is a South African politician who served as the fourth president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018. He is also referred to by his initials JZ and clan name Msholozi, and was a former anti-aparth ...

sued the paper for defamation. ''The Guardian'' issued an apology, and settled the libel case for an undisclosed sum. In February 2010, Jenkins argued in a ''Guardian'' article that British control over the

Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouze ...

was a "expensive legacy of empire" and should be handed over to the Argentinian government. He argued that they could be leased back under the supervision of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...

and that the 2,500 or so

Falkland Islanders Falkland Islanders, also called FalklandersChater, Tony. ''The Falklands''. St. Albans: The Penna Press, 1996. p. 137. and nicknamed Kelpers, are the people of the British Overseas Territory of the Falkland Islands. Identity The Island ...

should not have "an unqualified veto on British government policy". In a piece in ''The Guardian'' in June 2010 he wrote that the government should "cut efence all £45 billion of it. ... With the end of the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...

in the 1990s that threat f global communismvanished." In August 2016 he wrote in ''The Guardian'' in support of

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two N ...

membership, saying: "It is a real deterrent, and its plausibility rests on the assurance of collective response". Jenkins voted for the UK to Remain within the European Union in the

2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum The United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, commonly referred to as the EU referendum or the Brexit referendum, took place on 23 June 2016 in the United Kingdom (UK) and Gibraltar to ask the electorate whether the country shoul ...

, arguing in ''The Guardian'' that leaving would provide Germany with dominance over the remainder of the union: "It would leave Germany effectively alone at the head of Europe, alternately hesitant and bullying".

Books

Jenkins has written several books on the

politics Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

and architecture of England, including ''England's Thousand Best Churches'' and ''England's Thousand Best Houses''. In his 2011 book ''A Short History of England'', he argued that the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...

"was a remarkable institution that dismantled itself in good order".

Public appointments

Jenkins served on the boards of

British Rail British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four (British ra ...

1979–1990 and London Transport 1984–1986. He was a member of the Millennium Commission from February 1994 to December 2000, and has also sat on the Board of Trustees of

The Architecture Foundation Founded in 1991, The Architecture Foundation is Britain's oldest independent architecture centre. It examines contemporary issues in architectural theory and practice, through a public programme that has involved exhibitions, competitions publicatio ...

. From 1985 to 1990, he was deputy chairman of

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

. In July 2008, it was announced that he had been chosen as the new chairman of the

; he took over the three-year post from William Proby in November of that year. He remained in the post until November 2014.

Views

Jenkins wrote in ''The Guardian'' that

Rishi Sunak Rishi Sunak (; born 12 May 1980) is a British politician who has served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party since October 2022. He previously held two cabinet positions under Boris Johnson, lastly as ...

's aids as Prime Minister were "young, sneakered, tieless image-makers, and fiercely loyal to him." They were "special advisers, thinktanks and lobby groups isolated from the world outside."

Personal life and honours

Jenkins married the American actress

Gayle Hunnicutt Gayle Jenkins, Lady Jenkins (''née'' Hunnicutt; born February 6, 1943) is an American retired film, television and stage actress. She has made more than 30 film appearances. Early life and education The daughter of Colonel Sam Lloyd Hunnicut ...

in 1978; the couple had one son. They separated in 2008 and divorced in 2009. He married Hannah Kaye, events producer at

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 ...

, in 2014. Jenkins was appointed a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are ...

for services to

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the " news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (p ...

in the 2004 New Year Honours.

Selected works

*Simon Jenkins (1969) ''Education and Labour's Axe'', Bow Publications, *Simon Jenkins (1971) ''Here to Live: Study of Race Relations in an English Town'', Runnymede Trust, *Simon Jenkins (1975) ''Landlords to London: Story of a Capital and Its Growth'', Constable, *Simon Jenkins (1979) ''Newspapers: The Power and the Money'', Faber, *Simon Jenkins (1981) ''Newspapers Through the Looking-glass'', Manchester Statistical Society, *Simon Jenkins and

Andrew Graham-Yooll Andrew Michael Graham-Yooll OBE (5 January 1944 – 5 July 2019) was an Argentine journalist, the son of a Scottish father and an English mother. He was the author of about thirty books, written in English and Spanish. ''A State of Fear'' ( El ...

(1983) ''Imperial Skirmishes: War And Gunboat Diplomacy In Latin America'', Diane Publishing, * Sir Max Hastings and Simon Jenkins (1984) ''Battle for the Falklands'', M Joseph, *Simon Jenkins and Anne Sloman (1985) ''With Respect, Ambassador: Enquiry into the Foreign Office'', BBC, *Simon Jenkins (1986) ''The Market for Glory: Fleet Street Ownership in the Twentieth Century'', Faber and Faber, *Simon Jenkins and Robert Ilson (1992) ''"The Times" English Style and Usage Guide'', Times Books, *Simon Jenkins (1993) ''The Selling of Mary Davies and Other Writings'', John Murray, *Simon Jenkins (1994) ''Against the Grain'', John Murray, *Simon Jenkins (1995) ''Accountable to None: Tory Nationalization of Britain'', Hamish Hamilton, *Simon Jenkins (1999) ''England's Thousand Best Churches'', Allen Lane, *Simon Jenkins (2003) ''England's Thousand Best Houses'', Allen Lane, *Simon Jenkins (2006) ''Thatcher & Sons – A Revolution in Three Acts'', Penguin, *Simon Jenkins (2008) ''Wales: Churches, Houses, Castles'', Allen Lane, *Simon Jenkins (2011) ''A Short History of England'', Profile Books, *Simon Jenkins (2013) ''England's Hundred Best Views'', Profile Books, *Simon Jenkins (2016), ''England's Cathedrals'', Little Brown, *Simon Jenkins (2017) ''Britain's Hundred Best Railway Stations'', Penguin Books, *Simon Jenkins (2018) ''A Short History of Europe: From Pericles to Putin'', Penguin Books, *Simon Jenkins (2022) ''Cathedrals: Masterpieces of Architecture, Feats of Engineering, Icons of Faith'', Rizzoli,

References

External links

Simon Jenkins columns
at ''

''
Simon Jenkins columns
at ''

''
Simon Jenkins columns
at the ''

London 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 ...

''
Simon Jenkins columns
at ''

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 ...

'' * *
''Debrett's People of Today''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jenkins, Simon 1943 births Living people Alumni of St John's College, Oxford British male bloggers British Rail people British writers English bloggers English male journalists English newspaper editors Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature Fellows of St John's College, Oxford Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London The Guardian journalists HuffPost writers and columnists Knights Bachelor London Evening Standard people Members of the Bow Group National Trust people People associated with the University of Wales, Lampeter People educated at City of Bath Boys' School People educated at Mill Hill School The Sunday Times people The Times people Writers from Birmingham, West Midlands