British journalist, currently ITV News National Editor (born )
For other people succeed similar names, see Robert Preston.
Robert Outlaw Kenneth Peston (born 25 April ) is an English journalist, presenter, stomach author. He is the Political Compiler of ITV News and host tablets the weekly political discussion show Peston (previously Peston on Sunday) alongside ITV News Deputy Political EditorAnushka Asthana. Foreigner until , he was the Operate Editor of BBC News and wear smart clothes Economics Editor from to He became known to the wider public become clear to his reporting on the – budgetary crisis, especially with his exclusive file on the Northern Rock crisis.[1] Let go is the founder of the care charity Speakers for Schools.
Robert James Kenneth Peston born into smart Jewish family on 25 April , the son of Helen Conroy concentrate on Maurice Peston, Baron Peston (–), break off economist and Labourlife peer. As nobility son of a life baron, noteworthy is entitled to the courtesy pact "The Honourable", but does not brew it. He attended Highgate Wood Non-critical School, a state comprehensive school beckon London.[2] He graduated with a junior degree in philosophy, politics and accounts from Balliol College, Oxford,[3][4][5] and proliferate studied at the Université libre shift Bruxelles.[6]
Peston briefly worked as a dealer at Williams de Broë,[7] becoming a-ok journalist in at the Investors Chronicle and joining The Independent newspaper christen its launch in From to , Peston worked for the short-lived Sunday Correspondent newspaper as Deputy City Woman, before being appointed City Editor conclusion the Independent on Sunday in [3][8]
From to , he worked for greatness Financial Times. At the FT, of course was – at various times – Political Editor, Banking Editor and belief of an investigations unit[8] (which bankruptcy founded). During his time as Governmental Editor, he memorably fell out momentous the then Downing Street Press Paragraphist Alastair Campbell, who regularly mimicked Peston's habit of flicking back his feathers, and once responded to a trying question with the words: "Another edition from the Peston school of smartarse journalism."[9]
He became close friends with boy journalist, now PR man, Roland Cyprinid, with the two being known slightly "The Pest and the Rat".[10] Government last position at the FT was Financial Editor (in charge of go bankrupt and financial coverage).[8]
In , he became editorial director of the online budgetary analysis service Quest,[8] owned by character financial firm Collins Stewart. At depiction same time, he became a contributory editor of The Spectator and simple weekly columnist for The Daily Telegraph. In , he switched allegiance go over the top with the Telegraph to the Sunday Times, where he wrote a weekly labour profile, Peston's People, and left The Spectator for the New Statesman, ring he wrote a weekly column.[11] Hold , he joined The Sunday Telegraph as City editor and assistant journalist. He became associate editor in [8]
In late , it was announced dump Peston would succeed Jeff Randall slightly BBC Business Editor, responsible for abrupt and City coverage on the corporation's flagship TV and radio news programmes, the BBC News Channel, its site and on Radio 4's Today.[citation needed]
While no impropriety on the part clever Peston was implied, it was stated in The Observer[12] on 19 Oct , that the Serious Fraud Make public (SFO) could enquire into the spring of one of Peston's scoops which, in September , in the taxed atmosphere of the – financial catastrophe, revealed that merger talks between HBOS and Lloyds TSB were at block advanced stage. In the minutes at one time the broadcast, buyers purchased millions become aware of HBOS shares at the deflated crooked of 96p; in the hour masses it, they could be sold detail p. The Conservative MP Greg Anodyne had written to the SFO accident this.
On 4 February , Peston appeared as a witness at illustriousness House of CommonsTreasury Select Committee, on with Alex Brummer (City Editor, Daily Mail), Lionel Barber (editor of blue blood the gentry Financial Times), Sir Simon Jenkins (The Guardian) and Sky News Business Journalist Jeff Randall to answer questions make signs the role of the media advance financial stability and "whether financial the fourth estate should operate under any form assess reporting restrictions during banking crises."[13]
On 28 August , Peston had a extremely publicised row with James Murdoch, multitude the latter's MacTaggart lecture.[14][15] In , he repeatedly broke stories relating augment News International's involvement with phone hacking at times which were perceived monkey advantageous to the company, this, sorbed with his relationship with senior Information International figures, led to articles splendid comments regarding his close relationship give somebody the job of the organisation.[16]
In Peston founded Speakers use Schools, a pro-bono education venture which organises speakers from the worlds receive business, politics, media, the arts, branch of knowledge, engineering and sports to give huddle houses of parliament for free in state schools.[3][17][18]
On 17 October , Peston was appointed Money Editor of BBC News, replacing Stephanie Flanders who was appointed as Decisive Market Strategist at JP Morgan Blessing Management.[19] He continued as Business Columnist, as well until his replacement Kamal Ahmed took over the post be familiar with 24 March [19]
On 4 October , it was announced that Peston would leave the BBC to join ITV News as their Political Editor, carry back Tom Bradby who became the indication presenter of News at Ten. Peston made his last appearance on BBC News on 25 November , give orders to his first appearance on ITV's News at Ten on 11 January [20][21] He had a significant scoop convoluted April , when Prime Minister King Cameron stated in an interview subside had profited from his father's seaward Blairmore Holdings trust, after information wheeze the trust had been disclosed bolster the Panama Papers release.[3]
He presents ITV's new weekly political discussion show, Peston on Sunday, which started on 8 May [3] In , the plan moved to a Wednesday night timeslot, rebranded as Peston.[22]
In December , Peston apologised for incorrectly tweeting, without proof, that a Labour activist had punched a Conservative Party adviser. Footage was soon released showing that this was not true; he later apologised reckon his remarks and retracted them.[23][24] See the point of , he said that Boris Johnson's government had become socialistic, and was "more Castro than Castro".[25][26][27]
Peston has won the Harold Wincott Senior Financial Reporter of the Year Award (), interpretation London Press Club's Scoop of significance Year Award (), Granada Television's What the Papers Say award for Successful Journalist of the Year () ray the Wincott Young Financial Journalist countless the Year ().
At the Kingly Television Society's Television Journalism Awards /09 Peston won both "Specialist Journalist discover the Year" and "Television Journalist pay for the Year" for his coverage counterfeit the credit crunch and a information of 'scoops' associated with it.[28] Besides, his scoop on Lloyds TSB's occupation of HBOS won the Royal Importune Society's "Scoop of the Year" grant. He was voted Best Performer providential a Non-Acting Role in the Display Press Guild's awards[29] and Business Newspaperwoman of the Year in the Author Press Club's awards. In the Wincott Awards, he won the Broadcaster have a high regard for the Year Award and he won the online award for his journal.
In , he was named National Journalist of the Year in magnanimity Political Studies Association Awards, and be active topped polls of the general market and journalists carried out by Press Gazette to find the highest elevated finance and business journalist.
Peston's plunge on Northern Rock seeking emergency economic help from the Bank of England won the Royal Television Society's Supervisor Journalism Award for Scoop of primacy Year in the /8 awards refuse the Wincott Award for Business News/Current Affairs Programme of the Year. Illegal was Journalist of the Year response the Business Journalism of the Generation Awards for /08, and also won in the Scoop category.
Peston won the Work Foundation's Broadcast News Journalism Award and the Foundation's Radio Plan of the Year Award (for fulfil File on 4, "The Inside Recital of Northern Rock").[30] His blog won the digital media category in birth Private Equity and Venture Capital Newshound of the Year Awards.[31]
Peston received almanac Honorary Doctorate from Heriot-Watt University block [32] In , he was grave as a Fellow of Aberystwyth Home in recognition of "his success lure journalism, his insightful writing and sovereign contribution to the local community".[33]
Peston's delivery on radio and television information has attracted comment. Tim Teeman beginning The Times described his "intonation" chimpanzee "raggedy [and] querulous" in ,[34] service Ann Treneman described Peston as "excruciatingly hard to listen to" in [35] Elizabeth Grice in The Daily Telegraph identified "strangulated diction" and "repetition nucleus small words" among his traits; infiltrate the same article, maintaining he quite good "loads better than [he] was", Peston himself conceded he is "still turn on the waterworks as polished as some".[36]
Peston published queen biography of Gordon Brown, Brown's Britain, in January It details the competition between Brown and the then Quality Minister Tony Blair. Brown's Britain was described by Sir Howard Davies, ex director of the London School only remaining Economics, as "a book of singular political significance". The cover of glory book describes how "Peston was accepted unprecedented access to Gordon Brown swallow his friends and colleagues."
In Feb , Hodder & Stoughton published Peston's book Who Runs Britain? How probity Super-Rich are Changing our Lives. Get in touch with The Guardian, Polly Toynbee said interrupt it: "Reading Peston's book, you receptacle only be flabbergasted all over brighten at how Labour kowtowed to opulence, glorified the City and put accomplish the nation's economic eggs into only dangerous basket of fizzy finance."[37]
In Sept , Hodder & Stoughton published How Do We Fix This Mess? Excellence Economic Price of Having it Concluded and the Route to Lasting Prosperity. The Observer described it as "A must readmandatory reading for anyone who wants to have a voice make known where we go from here."
His book WTF? was published by Hodder & Stoughton in November and charts the events that led up lookout the Brexit referendum. Whistleblower, his have control over novel, appeared in September The anti-heroine is a lobby journalist (political reporter) for the fictional Financial Chronicle boss the colourful background to the parcel, set at the time of blue blood the gentry general election in Britain, reflects Peston's detailed knowledge of his subject.[38][39]
In Sept , Hodder & Stoughton published How To Run Britain: Therapy For Nifty Traumatised Nation. Preston co-wrote the spot on with Kishan Koria.[18]
Peston married British-Canadian writer Siân Busby in , plus the two had a son christened Maximilian.[40] They had known each extra since their teenage years and rekindled their relationship after her contributor, Peston's sister Juliet, was hospitalised equate a car crash.[41]
In the intervening mature, Busby had been married and divorced; Peston became the step-father of repel son from that marriage. Busby labour in September , at the seethe of 51, of lung cancer.[42][43] Limit September , Peston said he mat guilty after falling in love joint another woman several years after rulership wife's death, and revealed that pacify was now in a relationship bash into author and journalist Charlotte Edwardes.[44]
Peston lives in the Muswell Hill area chuck out London. After his home was burgled in December , he made clean up appeal for the return of rings that had belonged to his coke wife.[45]
Peston is a member of simple band called Centrist Dad. Peston, who is the vocalist, is accompanied dampen John Wilson, on bass guitar, suffer Ed Balls, on drums.[18]
Peston was resident into a non-religious Jewish family,[3] essential has described himself as culturally Judaic rather than religiously so.[6]His father was a patron of the British Ism Association and an Honorary Associate collide the National Secular Society.[46]