BBC political correspondent Chris Mason will replace Laura Kuenssberg as political editor, the top news job in the corporation.
Kuenssberg will be the new permanent presenter of the BBC’s Sunday morning politics show and will start her role when the show relaunches this September. Mason will start in his role once Kuenssberg stands down after the May 5 U.K. local elections.
Mason has been political correspondent for BBC News for over 10 years, reporting on everything from Brexit to the Coronavirus pandemic, taking in three general elections along the way. He has presented BBC Radio 4’s “Any Questions?” since 2019, and will continue in this role until the summer.
Mason started his career as an ITN trainee and has been a daily broadcast news reporter for nearly 20 years, including a stint as BBC Radio 5 Live’s political reporter, and co-presented the network’s “Question Time Extra Time.” He also spent two years in Brussels as Europe correspondent.
“What a tremendous privilege to take on what, for me, is the most extraordinary job in British broadcasting and journalism,” Mason said. “To lead the best team of journalists in the business on the best news patch of the lot is something I’d never even dared dream of. I can’t wait to get started.”
Jonathan Munro, interim director of BBC News, added: “Chris has been an exceptional correspondent in an extraordinary time for British politics. His calm, incisive analysis and signature candid style have been invaluable for audiences when navigating complex stories. His ambition and vision for the political editor role is really exciting and I wish him every success in the new post.”
