Former Sun editor David Dinsmore is set to take up a senior communications role in the UK government, becoming a civil servant rather than a political adviser. The appointment, reported by The Telegraph, follows an interview process where Prime Minister Keir Starmer was said to be impressed by Dinsmore's understanding of modern communication challenges.
Dinsmore will fill the newly created position of permanent secretary for communications, a role established after Starmer voiced concerns about government communications late last year. The role is separate to the No 10 director of communications, which was vacated by Matthew Doyle in March after nine months.
Dinsmore began his journalism career as a reporter for the Scottish Sun in 1990 and became its editor in 2006. He later served as editor of the Sun from 2013 to 2015 and held senior roles including managing editor, overseeing the launch of the Sunday edition. Currently, he is chief operating officer at News UK, publisher of the Sun, the Times and the Sunday Times.
During his tenure as Sun editor, Dinsmore was named 'sexist of the year' in 2014 by the End Violence Against Women coalition, due to the newspaper's continued publication of topless women on page three, which ceased in 2015.
Dinsmore follows a tradition of senior tabloid journalists moving into government communications, including Andy Coulson, former editor of the News of the World, who worked for David Cameron, and Alastair Campbell, former Daily Mirror political editor who served Tony Blair.
