Stephen Pollard

Last updated

Stephen Pollard
Born (1964-12-18) 18 December 1964 (age 59)
London, England
Education John Lyon School
Mansfield College, Oxford.
OccupationJournalist

Stephen Pollard (born 18 December 1964) is a British author and journalist. From 2008 until December 2021, he was the editor of The Jewish Chronicle and remains a senior advisor and writer on the paper.

Contents

Early life

Pollard had what he calls a "normal, nominally orthodox north-west London Jewish upbringing". His childhood dream was to become a barrister. [1] He attended Mansfield College, Oxford at the same time as Michael Gove attended Lady Margaret Hall [2] .

Career

In the early part of his career, Pollard was associated with the British left as a researcher for Labour MP Peter Shore [1] and working for the Fabian Society in 1993. [3]

Think tanks

In 1996, Pollard joined the Social Market Foundation. [4]

In 2005, Pollard was a Senior Fellow at Civitas. [5] In 2007, he was president for the Centre for the New Europe. [6]

In 2007, it was announced that he would be the first chair of the European Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism. [6]

Journalism

Stephen Pollard started at the Evening Standard . [1] He then worked at the Daily Express , leaving in 2001. In his final article for the paper, he used the first letter of every paragraph to spell out the phrase "Fuck you Desmond". [7] [8] [9]

He has been a political columnist with The Times and the Daily Mail [6] as well as writing for The Independent and Sunday Telegraph . [1]

In November 2008, he became editor of The Jewish Chronicle . [10] As editor, he referred to the paper as "Israel's candid friend." [11]

In September 2010, Stephen Pollard and The Spectator apologised and paid damages and costs to the organisers of the Islam Expo conference, in a defamation case involving a blog post written by Pollard and published in July 2008. The apology regretted the suggestion that "Islam Expo Limited is a fascist party dedicated to genocide which organised a conference with a racist and genocidal programme" and accepted that "Islam Expo's purpose is to provide a neutral and broad-based platform for debate on issues relating to Muslims and Islam." [12]

During his editorship, as of October 2020, the Press Complaints Commission and its successor IPSO made fourteen rulings against the paper. [13] [14] The publication was also forced to pay damages for libel on several occasions throughout his tenure. [15] [16] [17] [18] [19]

It was announced in April 2020 that the paper was going into voluntary liquidation, despite a planned merger with Jewish News, announced in February 2020. [20] Pollard resigned to join a consortium bidding for the publication's assets. [21] The bid was successful and retained Pollard as editor.

As of 2023, he writes frequently for the Daily Express, and also writes for the Daily Mail, The Sun and The Daily Telegraph . [22]

Views

Pollard is an advocate of market-based public service reforms. [23] He believes that "the state has no business running schools or hospitals" [24] and "I object to the fact I have to pay for (the BBC)". [1] He has advocated the introduction of medical co-payments for the National Health Service and the introduction of a flat tax. [23] [25] He expressed support for Chancellor George Osborne's decision to limit child benefits, writing that "welfare is thought of as an entitlement, so that those who choose not to work to support themselves can rely on the rest of us to pay their way." [26] He has praised Rupert Murdoch as "a man who has done more to democratise news, sport and leisure than any of his opponents." [27]

Pollard supported Brexit and praised the Conservative Party's 2019 manifesto. [28] [29]

Pollard was a signatory founder of the Henry Jackson Society, a neoconservative British foreign policy think tank. [30] [31]

Pollard says that he began to think about Judaism seriously and to feel loyalty to Israel in his mid-thirties. [1] Pollard has called Amnesty International a "woke joke" and accused them of allying with "groups that lionise Islamist terrorists." [32] He has also written that "Amnesty is a worthless, morally bankrupt sham that gives succour to terrorist states." [33]

Pollard supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq, while acknowledging failures in reconstruction, [34] [35] and called the Stop the War Coalition "traitors", saying that their opposition to the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan equated to supporting dictators. [36]

Publications

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oliver Letwin</span> British Independent politician

Sir Oliver Letwin is a British politician, Member of Parliament (MP) for West Dorset from 1997 to 2019. Letwin was elected as a member of the Conservative Party, but sat as an independent after having the whip removed in September 2019. He was Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer under Michael Howard and Shadow Home Secretary under Iain Duncan Smith. He was Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster from 2014 to 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lindsay Hoyle</span> British politician (born 1957)

Sir Lindsay Harvey Hoyle is a British politician who has served as Speaker of the House of Commons since 2019 and as Member of Parliament (MP) for Chorley since 1997. Before his election as speaker, he was a member of the Labour Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fiona Bruce</span> British journalist and TV presenter (born 1964)

Fiona Elizabeth Bruce is a British journalist, newsreader, and television presenter. She joined the BBC as a researcher for their current affairs programme Panorama in 1989, and became the first female newsreader on BBC News at Ten, as well as presenting many other flagship programmes for the corporation, including BBC News at Six, Crimewatch, Real Story, Antiques Roadshow, and Fake or Fortune? Since 10 January 2019, she has been the presenter of the BBC One television programme Question Time.

<i>The Jewish Chronicle</i> London-based Jewish weekly newspaper

The Jewish Chronicle is a London-based Jewish weekly newspaper. Founded in 1841, it is the oldest continuously published Jewish newspaper in the world. Its editor is Jake Wallis Simons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Farry</span> Former Northern Ireland politician (born 1971)

Stephen Anthony Farry is a Northern Irish former politician who was the deputy leader of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland from December 2016 to September 2024. Farry was the Member of Parliament (MP) for North Down from 2019, until he lost his seat to independent unionist Alex Easton at the 2024 general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laura Kuenssberg</span> British journalist, former Political Editor of BBC News (born 1976)

Laura Juliet Kuenssberg is a British journalist who presents the BBC's Sunday morning politics show. She was succeeded as Political Editor of BBC News by Chris Mason.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Kemp</span> British Army officer

Colonel Richard Justin Kemp is a retired British Army officer who served from 1977 to 2006. Kemp was an infantry battalion commanding officer. Among his assignments were the command of Operation Fingal in Afghanistan from July to November 2003. After retiring Kemp co-wrote Attack State Red with Chris Hughes, an account of the 2007 Afghanistan campaign undertaken by the Royal Anglian Regiment, documenting their initial deployment.

<i>The Daily Telegraph</i> British daily broadsheet newspaper

The Daily Telegraph, known online and elsewhere as The Telegraph, is a British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was founded by Arthur B. Sleigh in 1855 as The Daily Telegraph and Courier. The Telegraph is considered a newspaper of record in the UK. The paper's motto, "Was, is, and will be", was included in its emblem which was used for over a century starting in 1858.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Baker (politician)</span> British politician (born 1971)

Steven John Baker is a British former politician who served as Minister of State for Northern Ireland from 2022 to 2024 and as Minister of State in the Cabinet Office from February to July 2024, having previously served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union from 2017 to 2018. A member of the Conservative Party, he was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Wycombe in Buckinghamshire from 2010 to 2024. Baker was chair of the European Research Group (ERG) from 2016 to 2017 and from 2019 to 2020.

Jamie Bryson is a Northern Irish loyalist activist who originally attracted media attention as a leading figure in the Belfast City Hall flag protests. He is the author of four books and is the editor of Unionist Voice, a monthly unionist newsletter and online site. He also runs a consultancy business focusing on loyalist public relations, legal work and advocacy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Jenrick</span> British politician (born 1982)

Robert Edward Jenrick is a British politician who has been Shadow Secretary of State for Justice and Shadow Lord Chancellor since November 2024. He previously served in the Cabinet as Minister of State for Immigration from 2022 to 2023 and as Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government from 2019 to 2021. He also served in the government as Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury from 2018 to 2019 and as Minister of State for Health from September to October 2022. A member of the Conservative Party, Jenrick has been Member of Parliament for Newark since the 2014 by-election.

Arron Fraser Andrew Banks is a British businessman and political donor. He is the co-founder of the Leave.EU campaign. Banks was previously one of the largest donors to the UK Independence Party (UKIP) and helped Nigel Farage's campaign for Britain to leave the EU.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruth Smeeth</span> British Labour politician

Ruth Lauren Smeeth, Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Stoke-on-Trent North from 2015 until 2019. Since 2022 she has been a member of the House of Lords.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Timothy</span> British politician

Nicholas James Timothy is a British Conservative Party politician and former political adviser, serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for West Suffolk since 2024. He served as Joint Downing Street Chief of Staff, alongside Fiona Hill, to Prime Minister Theresa May, until after the 2017 general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lance Forman</span> British politician (born 1962)

Lance Philip Anisfeld, known professionally as Lance Philip Forman, is a British politician and businessman, who was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for London between 2 July 2019 and the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the EU.

William Ronald Sacheverell Sitwell is a member of the British Sitwell family. He is an editor, writer and broadcaster, restaurant critic for The Daily Telegraph and former editor of Waitrose Food.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Dines</span> British Conservative politician

Sarah Elizabeth Dines is a British Conservative Party politician who was Member of Parliament (MP) for Derbyshire Dales from 2019 to 2024. She served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Safeguarding from October 2022 to November 2023. She served as Lord Commissioner of the Treasury from September to October 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pro-EU leaflet</span> 2016 UK Government pamphlet

"Why the Government Believes That Voting to Remain in the European Union is the Best Decision for the UK" was a one-off pamphlet created in April 2016 by the government of the United Kingdom. The leaflet was created in anticipation of the United Kingdom European Union membership referendum in June, which would ask the British public whether the UK should leave the EU. After internal polling revealed that 85 per cent of the public wanted more information before making their decision, Prime Minister David Cameron announced that the government would send a leaflet to households across the UK, explaining why remaining in the EU was the best choice for the UK. The leaflets were paid for by British taxpayers at a cost of £9.3 million, and were delivered across the UK in two waves: the first to households in England, and the second to households in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Opinion polling on a United Ireland</span>

This page lists opinion polling for a United Ireland also known as a New Ireland.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bell, Matthew (11 January 2009). "'Fantastic timing': a baptism of fire at the Jewish Chronicle". The Independent. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
  2. ↑ Bennett, Owen (2019). Michael Gove: A Man in a Hurry. London: Biteback Publishing. ISBN   9781785904400.
  3. ↑ Pollard, Stephen (1993). "More southern discomfort". More southern discomfort. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  4. ↑ Eye, Eagle (18 April 1996). "Diary" . The Independent. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  5. ↑ "Civitas: the Institute for the Study of Civil Society". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  6. 1 2 3 Rocker, Simon (26 January 2007). "Pollard to head new European think-tank". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 21 September 2007.
  7. ↑ Hodgson, Jessica (8 January 2001). "Stephen Pollard loses job at Times" – via www.theguardian.com.
  8. ↑ "Stephen Pollard returns to Richard Desmond's fold | Media Monkey". 21 September 2009 – via www.theguardian.com.
  9. ↑ "'Fantastic timing': a baptism of fire at the Jewish Chronicle" . The Independent. 11 January 2009. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022.
  10. ↑ Matthew Bell, "'Fantastic timing': a baptism of fire at the Jewish Chronicle", Independent on Sunday, 11 January 2009
  11. ↑ Bell, Matthew (11 January 2009). "'Fantastic timing': a baptism of fire at the Jewish Chronicle". The Independent . Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  12. ↑ Oliver, Laura (2 September 2010). "Spectator settles in hyperlink defamation case". Journalism.co.uk. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  13. ↑ "Press Complaints Commission". www.pcc.org.uk. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  14. ↑ "IPSO Rulings - Jewish Chronicle". www.ipso.co.uk/. Independent Press Standards Organisation. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  15. ↑ Luft, Oliver (3 April 2009). "Jewish Chronicle pays £30,000 libel damages to peace activist". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  16. ↑ "Human Appeal International: an apology". The Jewish Chronicle. 30 May 2013.
  17. ↑ "The Trustees of Interpal — Apology". The Jewish Chronicle. 23 August 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  18. ↑ "Audrey White: An apology". The Jewish Chronicle. 20 February 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  19. ↑ "Jewish Chronicle, Stephen Pollard and Lee Harpin apologise and pay substantial libel damages to Nada alSanjari" (PDF). www.carter-ruck.com/. Carter Ruck. 6 October 2020.
  20. ↑ "Jewish Chronicle and Jewish News to close and staff laid off". the Guardian. 8 April 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  21. ↑ Tobitt, Charlotte (21 April 2020). "Jewish News back to 'business as usual' as Chronicle merger plan thwarted by surprise bid". Press Gazette. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  22. ↑ "Articles". Muck Rack. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  23. 1 2 Pollard, Stephen (24 August 2005). "Tories need a Clause 4". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
  24. ↑ Pollard, Stephen (13 May 2005). "The death of the project". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
  25. ↑ Pollard, Stephen (2 July 2008). "Beyond the matron state". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  26. ↑ Pollard, Stephen (27 March 2015). "We must now put a cap on the huge child benefits bill, argues STEPHEN". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  27. ↑ Pollard, Stephen (9 July 2018). "Rupert Murdoch biography review". The Jewish Chronicle . Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  28. ↑ Pollard, Stephen (24 June 2016). "Brexit: It's a wonderful day for Britain - and its Jews". The Jewish Chronicle . Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  29. ↑ Pollard, Stephen (25 November 2019). "Only three words in the Tory manifesto matter: Get Brexit done". The Daily Telegraph . ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  30. ↑ The Henry Jackson Society The Guardian,
  31. ↑ "...[The West's] failures in the former Yugoslavia (especially Bosnia) were more than just moral. Through their impact on the credibility of our international institutions, such as NATO and the EU, they had a profound effect on the national interests of western powers. These fiascos showed that we had to engage, robustly and sometimes preventatively. The early interventions in Kosovo and Sierra Leone, although imperfect, provide an appropriate model for future action." The Henry Jackson Society's Statement of Principles Archived 8 August 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  32. ↑ Pollard, Stephen (30 October 2022). "Amnesty International has become a woke joke". The Telegraph. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  33. ↑ Pollard, Stephen (6 August 2022). "Amnesty is now utterly morally bankrupt". The Daily Telegraph . ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  34. ↑ Pollard, Stephen (20 April 2003). "Stephen Pollard: War lessons that Mr Blair should apply at home". The Independent . Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  35. ↑ Pollard, Stephen (24 August 2003). "Stephen Pollard: We can still succeed in reconstructing Iraq". The Independent . Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  36. ↑ Pollard, Stephen (12 October 2016). "Stop the War 'oppose the West' and support dictators. They are traitors". The Daily Telegraph . ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 13 September 2023.
Media offices
Preceded by Editor of The Jewish Chronicle
2008–2021		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.