Michael Gove to become new Spectator editor following sale

Former Tory Chancellor Michael Gove is poised to become the new editor of The Spectator, pending approval from the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA). 

If greenlit, Gove will succeed long-time editor Fraser Nelson, who will retire after a 15-year tenure.

The move comes after Old Queen Street (OQS) Media, owned by British entrepreneur and philanthropist Sir Paul Marshall, snapped up The Spectator earlier this month for £100m, concluding a closely watched auction.

Under Marshall’s ownership, OQS Media is set to channel investment into journalism, talent, and technology, with an eye on expanding the magazine across the ‘Anglosphere’ and in North America.

Sir Paul Marshall, who also holds a stake in GB News, bought The Spectator through his investment firm, Old Queen Street Ventures.

Charles Moore, former editor of The Spectator and The Daily Telegraph, will take up the role of non-executive chairman and join the board of OQS Media to safeguard the “editorial independence and soul” of the magazine.

Freddie Sayers, the group’s publisher and chief executive, will drive the overall strategy.

Commenting on Gove’s appointment, Sayers said: “To be Editor of The Spectator requires a rare breadth of intellectual interests and depth of journalistic experience.

“Alongside his political and journalistic nous, Michael brings a love of books, philosophy, art, opera — and a mischievous sense of humour. He is perfectly suited to this role, and I can’t wait to work together to bring The Spectator to new audiences.”

Gove, the longest-serving Cabinet Minister in recent history, also has a journalistic background, having worked between 1988 and 2005, including for The Times. 

His political résumé includes stints as Lord Chancellor, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Secretary of State for Education, and Secretary of State for Justice.

Speaking about his departure, Fraser Nelson said: “There’s never a good time to leave a job like mine, but after 15 years and a new owner with big ambitions, there is an obvious time. In many ways, Michael is the obvious successor.”

The sale of The Telegraph remains ongoing.