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Patrick Wintour
political journalist
Patrick Wintour is a prominent British journalist, currently serving as the Diplomatic Editor for The Guardian. Born on November 1, 1954, he has had a distinguished career in political journalism, having previously held the position of Political Editor at The Guardian from 2006 to 2015. He also worked as the Political Editor of The Observer and has been recognized for his expertise in political reporting, particularly regarding the Labour Party.12
Early Life and Education
Wintour is the son of Charles Vere Wintour, a former editor of the Evening Standard, and Eleanor "Nonie" Trego Baker, an American. He attended prestigious institutions including The Hall School in Hampstead, Westminster School, and Corpus Christi College, Oxford. His family includes notable figures such as his sister, Dame Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine.1
Career Highlights
Wintour began his journalism career at the New Statesman in the late 1970s before joining The Guardian as a chief Labour correspondent in 1983. His career at The Guardian has spanned several decades, marked by significant roles:
- Chief Political Correspondent (1988–1996)
- Political Editor of The Observer (1996–2000)
- Returned to The Guardian as Chief Political Correspondent (2000–2006)
- Appointed Political Editor in 2006 and transitioned to Diplomatic Editor in 2015.13
Wintour has been recognized with awards such as the British Press Awards' "Political Journalist of the Year" in 2007, highlighting his impact on political journalism in the UK.2
Personal Life
Patrick Wintour has been married twice; his second wife is Rachel Sylvester, a journalist for The Times, with whom he has two children. He also has two children from his first marriage to journalist Madeleine Bunting.1
In addition to his editorial roles, Wintour is noted for being the Chairman of Political Lobby Correspondents at Westminster, further solidifying his influence within political journalism circles.4
Highlights
With her appointment as shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel no longer runs the risk of running a freelance pro-Israel foreign policy as she did in 2017, an episode that led to her dismissal from Cabinet. From now on, she determines the policy.
This is a big win for Conservative Friends of Israel, for Likud and for Benjamin Netanyahu, and is likely to make UK policy on Middle East less bipartisan. She is also natural Trumpian, so is a risk of sorts on eve of poll.
Am sure the pro-Palestinian Sir Alan Duncan will be overjoyed. In his diaries, in one of his least disparaging comments, he described her as deceitful and morally corrupt.
The foreign office permanent secretary Sir Philip Barton is standing down after five years in the role serving five foreign secretaries, and overseeing the political transition to Labour. A decent thoughtful man, he faced calls to resign when he remained on holiday during the fall of Kabul as did the then foreign secretary. PB later admitted on reflection he should have returned to work. He also administered the disastrous merger between foreign office & Dfid, a decision taken just before his appointment, but still consumed much time. His departure in January comes as UK looks also for a post Biden Ambassador in Washington and a new UK National Security Adviser. The appointment of his replacement - an open process- will coincide with the conclusion of the three reviews launched on the department’s approach to economic diplomacy, the Global South and development.
