Simon Jenkins

Last updated

Sir
Simon Jenkins
FSA FRSL
Simon Jenkins at Policy Fight Club (cropped).jpg
Jenkins in 2012
Born
Simon David Jenkins

(1943-06-10) 10 June 1943 (age 81)
Birmingham, England
Education Mill Hill School
Alma mater St John's College, Oxford
Occupation(s)Journalist, author
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1978;div. 2009)​
Hannah Kaye
​
(m. 2014)​
Awards Knight Bachelor

Sir Simon David Jenkins FSA FRSL FLSW (born 10 June 1943) is a British author, a newspaper columnist and editor. He was editor of the Evening Standard from 1976 to 1978 and of The Times from 1990 to 1992.

Contents

Jenkins chaired the National Trust from 2008 to 2014. He currently writes columns for The Guardian .

Early life

Jenkins was born 10 June 1943, in Birmingham, England. [1] His father, Daniel Thomas Jenkins, was a Welsh professor of systematic theology at Princeton Theological Seminary and a Minister in the Congregational and then United Reformed Church. [2] He was educated at Mill Hill School and St John's College, Oxford, where he earned a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. [1]

Career

Journalism

After graduating from the University of Oxford, Jenkins initially worked at Country Life magazine, before joining the Times Educational Supplement. [3] He was then features editor and columnist on the Evening Standard before editing the Insight pages of The Sunday Times . [4] [5] From 1976 to 1978 he was editor of the Evening Standard, before becoming political editor of The Economist from 1979 to 1986. [6] He edited The Times from 1990 to 1992, [7] and since then has been a columnist for The Times and The Guardian . [5] [8] In 1998 he received the What the Papers Say Journalist of the Year award. [4]

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. [4] He retained a column at The Sunday Times and was a contributing blogger at The Huffington Post . [9] He gave up both on becoming chairman of the National Trust in 2008, when he also resumed an occasional column for the Evening Standard. [10]

Opinions

In April 2009, The Guardian withdrew one of Jenkins' articles from its website after African National Congress leader and South African president-elect Jacob Zuma sued the paper for defamation. [11] The Guardian issued an apology, [12] [13] and settled the libel case for an undisclosed sum. [14] [15]

In February 2010, Jenkins argued in a Guardian article that British control over the Falkland Islands was an "expensive legacy of empire" and should be handed over to the Argentinian government. [16] He argued that they could be leased back under the supervision of the United Nations and that the 2,500 or so Falkland Islanders should not have "an unqualified veto on British government policy". [16]

In a piece in The Guardian in June 2010 he wrote that the government should "cut [defence], all £45 billion of it. ... With the end of the Cold War in the 1990s that threat [of global communism] vanished." [17] In August 2016 he wrote in The Guardian in support of NATO membership, saying: "It is a real deterrent, and its plausibility rests on the assurance of collective response". [18]

Jenkins voted for the UK to Remain within the European Union in the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, 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". [19]

Soon after Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister, Jenkins wrote that his aides were "young, sneakered, tieless image-makers, and fiercely loyal to him." They were "special advisers, thinktanks and lobby groups isolated from the world outside." [20]

Jenkins has consistently argued against Western military intervention and support in the conflict in Ukraine. Before the outbreak of full invasion in January 2022, amid heightened tensions, Jenkins wrote a pair of columns arguing that the United Kingdom should stay out of the "border dispute", one he argues is a direct result of 'NATO expansionism'. [21] [22] In 2023, he wrote a column discouraging the supplying of jets as military aid. [23] In early 2024, he wrote that NATO was growing reckless in the conflict, as the war reached a "predictable stalemate". [24] Jenkins has been criticized for his opinions on Ukraine by many journalists and commentators, examples including Mark Laity [25] and Oz Katerji. [26]

In May 2024, following the local elections, he wrote calling metro mayors a "farce of local democracy" advocating their abolition. [27]

Books

Jenkins has written several books on the politics, history and architecture of England, including England's Thousand Best Churches [28] and England's Thousand Best Houses. [5] In his 2011 book A Short History of England, he argued that the British Empire "was a remarkable institution that dismantled itself in good order". [29]

In 2022, Jenkins' book, The Celts: A Sceptical History, stoked some controversy on account of his incredulous view of the Celts as a distinct cultural entity. The release of the work was met with a number of hostile reviews from specialists in Celtic studies, with these critics of the book alleging factual errors in the work as well as of the misrepresentation of sources. [30] [31] [32]

Public appointments

Jenkins served on the boards of British Rail 1979–1990 [6] and London Transport 1984–1986. [6] He was a member of the Millennium Commission from February 1994 to December 2000, [33] and has also sat on the board of trustees of The Architecture Foundation. [34] From 1985 to 1990, he was deputy chairman of English Heritage. [5]

In July 2008, it was announced that he had been chosen as the new chairman of the National Trust; he took over the three-year post from William Proby in November of that year. [35] He remained in the post until November 2014. [36]

Personal life and honours

Insignia of Knight Bachelor Knights Bachelor Insignia.png
Insignia of Knight Bachelor

Jenkins married the American actress Gayle Hunnicutt in 1978; [37] the couple had one son. [38] They separated in 2008 [37] and divorced in 2009. [39] He married Hannah Kaye, events producer at Intelligence Squared, in 2014. [40]

Jenkins was appointed a Knight Bachelor for services to journalism in the 2004 New Year Honours. [41]

In 2022, Jenkins was elected as a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales. [42]

Selected works

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Hitchens</span> English journalist and author (born 1951)

Peter Jonathan Hitchens is an English conservative author, broadcaster, journalist, and commentator. He writes for The Mail on Sunday and was a foreign correspondent reporting from both Moscow and Washington, D.C. Peter Hitchens has contributed to The Spectator, The American Conservative, The Guardian, First Things, Prospect, and the New Statesman. His books include The Abolition of Britain, The Rage Against God, The War We Never Fought and The Phoney Victory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacob Zuma</span> President of South Africa from 2009 to 2018

Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma 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 names Nxamalala and Msholozi. Zuma was a former anti-apartheid activist, member of uMkhonto weSizwe, and president of the African National Congress (ANC) from 2007 to 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Max Hastings</span> English journalist, editor, historian and author (born 1945)

Sir Max Hugh Macdonald Hastings is a British journalist and military historian, who has worked as a foreign correspondent for the BBC, editor-in-chief of The Daily Telegraph, and editor of the Evening Standard. He is also the author of thirty books, most significantly histories, which have won several major awards. Hastings currently writes a bimonthly column for Bloomberg Opinion and contributes to The Times and The Sunday Times.

Hugo James Rifkind is a British journalist. A columnist for The Times since 2005, he began presenting a Saturday morning programme on Times Radio in July 2020. He has been a regular guest on The News Quiz, on BBC Radio 4 since 2008.

Benjamin Myers is an English writer and journalist.

Simon Kuper is a British, and naturalized French, author and journalist, best known for his work at the Financial Times and as a football writer. After studies at Oxford, Harvard University, and the Technische Universität Berlin, Kuper started his career in journalism at the FT in 1994, where he today writes about a wide range of topics, such as politics, society, culture, sports and urban planning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Bradshaw</span> British writer and film critic

Peter Nicholas Bradshaw is a British writer and film critic. He has been chief film critic at The Guardian since 1999, and is a contributing editor at Esquire.

Gordon Burn was an English writer born in Newcastle upon Tyne and the author of four novels and several works of non-fiction.

<i>The Guardian</i> British national daily newspaper

The Guardian is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as The Manchester Guardian, and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister papers, The Observer and The Guardian Weekly, The Guardian is part of the Guardian Media Group, owned by the Scott Trust Limited. The trust was created in 1936 to "secure the financial and editorial independence of The Guardian in perpetuity and to safeguard the journalistic freedom and liberal values of The Guardian free from commercial or political interference". The trust was converted into a limited company in 2008, with a constitution written so as to maintain for The Guardian the same protections as were built into the structure of the Scott Trust by its creators. Profits are reinvested in its journalism rather than distributed to owners or shareholders. It is considered a newspaper of record in the UK.

Jonathan Mark Wilson is a British sports journalist and author who writes for a number of publications, including The Guardian and Sports Illustrated. He is a columnist for World Soccer and Unibet and founder and editor of The Blizzard. He also appears on The Guardian's football podcast, Football Weekly".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Lavery</span> British politician (born 1963)

Ian Lavery is a British Labour Party politician who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Blyth and Ashington from 2024. He was previously the MP for Wansbeck from 2010 to 2024. Lavery served as the chair of the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn from 2017 to 2020, and was the president of the National Union of Mineworkers from 2002 to 2010. He is a member of the Socialist Campaign Group parliamentary caucus.

<i>The Sun</i> (United Kingdom) British tabloid newspaper

The Sun is a British tabloid newspaper, published by the News Group Newspapers division of News UK, itself a wholly owned subsidiary of Lachlan Murdoch's News Corp. It was founded as a broadsheet in 1964 as a successor to the Daily Herald, and became a tabloid in 1969 after it was purchased by its current owner. The Sun had the largest daily newspaper circulation in the United Kingdom, but was overtaken by freesheet rival Metro in March 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Wootton</span> New Zealand and British journalist and broadcaster

Daniel John William Wootton is a New Zealand and British journalist and broadcaster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manchester United F.C. 4–3 Manchester City F.C. (2009)</span> Football match

The first match between Manchester United and Manchester City in the 2009–10 Premier League football season was played on 20 September 2009 at Old Trafford, Trafford. It was the 153rd Manchester derby between the two clubs. Heading into the game, both teams were level on points having both won four matches in the opening weeks of the season, and big-spending City were seen as a new threat to United, who had been the dominant force in English football for over 15 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Stevens</span> British health manager and civil servant

Simon Laurence Stevens, Baron Stevens of Birmingham is Chair of the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Chair of Cancer Research UK, Chair-designate of King's College London, and an independent member of the House of Lords. Stevens previously served as the eighth Chief Executive of NHS England from 2014 to 2021. Earlier in his career he worked in the Prime Minister's Office at 10 Downing Street, as well as internationally, including Guyana, Malawi, and the United States. He was a visiting professor at the London School of Economics from 2004 to 2008.

Lucy Katherine Mangan is a British journalist and author. She is a columnist, features writer and TV critic for The Guardian and an opinion writer for i news. A major part of her writing is related to feminism.

Alison Phillips is a British journalist who served as the editor of the Daily Mirror between 2018 and 2024.

<i>UnHerd</i> British online magazine featuring politics and culture

UnHerd is a British news and opinion website founded in July 2017, which describes itself as a platform for slow journalism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marco Longhi</span> British Conservative politician

Marco Andrea Longhi is a British Conservative Party politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Dudley North from 2019 to 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Sewell</span> British educational consultant (born 1959)

Cleveland Anthony Sewell, Baron Sewell of Sanderstead, is a British educational consultant and founder and chair of the educational charity Generating Genius. In July 2020, Sewell was appointed chair of the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities tasked with looking into race disparity in the UK. Sewell sits as a life peer in the House of Lords. He has been described as an admirer of the Black conservative scholar Thomas Sowell.

References

  1. 1 2 "'JENKINS, (Sir) Simon David', Who's Who 2012, A & C Black, 2012; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2011".(subscription required)
  2. ↑ Kaye, Elaine. "Jenkins, Daniel Thomas in OxfordDNB" . Retrieved 20 October 2013.
  3. ↑ "Simon Jenkins". The Guardian . 22 April 2008. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 Timms, Dominic (27 January 2005). "Times columnist Simon Jenkins to join the Guardian". The Guardian . Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 4 McSmith, Andy (5 July 2008). "Sir Simon Jenkins: History Man". The Independent . Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  6. 1 2 3 "Simon Jenkins". The Cornwall Lecture. University of Exeter . Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  7. ↑ "The Princess and the Press". Frontline . PBS . Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  8. ↑ "Sir Simon Jenkins". Landmark Trust . Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  9. ↑ Jenkins, Simon (9 September 2010). "Simon Jenkins @ The Huffington Post". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
  10. ↑ Ponsford, Dominic (19 January 2009). "Simon Jenkins column returns to Evening Standard". Press Gazette. Archived from the original on 16 June 2011. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  11. ↑ "Zuma sues London's Guardian". Mail & Guardian . 14 April 2009. Archived from the original on 15 April 2009.
  12. ↑ Bold, Ben (22 April 2009). "Guardian forced to apologise to Jacob Zuma". Campaign . Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  13. ↑ "Corrections and clarifications: Jacob Zuma". The Guardian . 20 April 2009. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  14. ↑ "South Africa's Zuma accepts libel damages from UK paper". Reuters . 30 July 2009. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  15. ↑ Maughan, Karyn (30 July 2009). "Zuma wins damages from UK newspaper". Independent Online . Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  16. 1 2 Jenkins, Simon (25 February 2010). "The Falklands can no longer remain as Britain's expensive nuisance". The Guardian . Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  17. ↑ Jenkins, Simon (8 June 2010). "My once-in-a-generation cut? The armed forces. All of them". The Guardian . Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  18. ↑ Jenkins, Simon (19 August 2016). "Jeremy Corbyn's dismissal of Nato is a step too far". The Guardian . Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  19. ↑ Jenkins, Simon (16 June 2016). "I fear German dominance. That's why I'm for remaining in the EU". The Guardian . Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  20. ↑ Jenkins, Simon (7 November 2022). "Rishi Sunak has surrounded himself with yes-men. What he really needs is a Willie". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  21. ↑ Jenkins, Simon (24 January 2022). "A measure of autonomy in eastern Ukraine is the only way out of this crisis". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  22. ↑ Jenkins, Simon (20 January 2022). "Britain should stay well out of Russia's border dispute with Ukraine". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  23. ↑ Jenkins, Simon (9 February 2023). "Zelenskiy wants jets. The west should think very carefully before giving them to him". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  24. ↑ Jenkins, Simon (5 March 2024). "Nato is growing reckless over Ukraine – and Russia's German military leak proves it". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  25. ↑ "Peace in Ukraine has to be fought for". The Guardian. 14 March 2024. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  26. ↑ Katerji, Oz. "Oz Katerji on X".
  27. ↑ Jenkins, Simon (6 May 2024). "England's metro mayors make a farce of local democracy. They must be scrapped". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  28. ↑ Jenkins, Simon (2003) "England's Thousand Best Churches", Manchester Memoirs; vol. 140 (2001–02), pp. 10–20 (part of a lecture he gave to the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society, 29 October 2001)
  29. ↑ Kamm, Oliver (3 September 2011). "Simon Jenkins's potted history of England". The Times .
  30. ↑ Rodway, Simon (1 July 2022). "Review: The Celts, A Sceptical History, by Simon Jenkins". Nation.Cymru .
  31. ↑ Mabbot, Alastair (8 July 2022). "Review: The Celts, A Sceptical History, by Simon Jenkins. Book Review". The Herald .
  32. ↑ Fresne, Patrick (28 December 2022). "Book Review: The Celts, A Sceptical History, by Simon Jenkins". The Irish Story.
  33. ↑ "Millennium Commissioners". Millennium Commission. Archived from the original on 30 March 2012. Retrieved 5 December 2009.
  34. ↑ "All Change At Foundation". Architects' Journal . 21 September 2000. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  35. ↑ Kennedy, Maev (3 July 2008). "Writer Simon Jenkins to chair National Trust". The Guardian . Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  36. ↑ Stephens, Simon (27 June 2014). "National Trust appoints new chairman". Museums Association . Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  37. 1 2 Eden, Richard (26 July 2008). "Sir Simon Jenkins's wife files for divorce". The Telegraph . Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  38. ↑ Conrad, Peter (17 December 2000). "The ultimate insider". The Observer . Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  39. ↑ Grice, Elizabeth (5 February 2009). "Recession blues? Come to see our snowdrops". The Telegraph . Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  40. ↑ "Wedding bells for a Girl with Pearls". Evening Standard . 10 September 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  41. ↑ "No. 57155". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 31 December 2003. pp. 1–28.
  42. ↑ Wales, The Learned Society of. "Simon Jenkins". The Learned Society of Wales. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
Media offices
Preceded by Deputy Editor of the Evening Standard
1976		Succeeded by
Richard Bourne
Preceded by Editor of the Evening Standard
1976–1978		Succeeded by
Preceded by Editor of The Times
1990–1992		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.