John Rentoul
Encyclopedia
John Rentoul is a British journalist, who is the chief political commentator for the Independent on Sunday.
He has been in this position since February 2004, having previously been chief political commentator at the Independent
since January 1997. Before that, he had been political correspondent for the same paper since 1995, and Deputy Editor of the New Statesman
between January 1983 and May 1988. He was also a political reporter for BBC's "On The Record" between 1988 and 1995. He has become known as an "ultra-Blairite
", both by himself and others, and has described having "slavish admiration" for Tony Blair
. He is also a visiting fellow in Contemporary History at Queen Mary, University of London
. His biography of Tony Blair has passed through several editions.
Fellow journalist Martin Bright
has said Rentoul "remains one of the most incisive political columnists writing today, even though he has lost his access to the highest levels of power".
He also maintains a daily blog on blogs.independent.co.uk. His blog has running features including "Questions To Which The Answer Is 'No'", an idea originated by Oliver Kamm
.
Rentoul is related to 1920s Conservative
MP, Sir Gervais Rentoul
.
He was born in India in 1958, where his father was a minister of the Church of South India
. He studied History and English at King's College, Cambridge
. He worked on an oil rig before becoming a journalist on Accountancy Age.
Rentoul is a member of the Labour Party, but even though he has been critical of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition, he has been supportive of elements in the Coalition he identifies as Blairite
or centrist. He is a great critic of Ed Miliband
and has repeatedly called for him to resign from his position.
He has been in this position since February 2004, having previously been chief political commentator at the Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
since January 1997. Before that, he had been political correspondent for the same paper since 1995, and Deputy Editor of the New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
between January 1983 and May 1988. He was also a political reporter for BBC's "On The Record" between 1988 and 1995. He has become known as an "ultra-Blairite
Blairite
In British politics, the term Blairism refers to the political ideology of former leader of the Labour Party and Prime Minister Tony Blair, who left both positions in 2007 to become Envoy of the Quartet on the Middle East...
", both by himself and others, and has described having "slavish admiration" for Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
. He is also a visiting fellow in Contemporary History at Queen Mary, University of London
Queen Mary, University of London
Queen Mary, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
. His biography of Tony Blair has passed through several editions.
Fellow journalist Martin Bright
Martin Bright
Martin Bright is a British journalist. He worked for the BBC World Service and The Guardian before becoming The Observer's education correspondent and then home affairs editor...
has said Rentoul "remains one of the most incisive political columnists writing today, even though he has lost his access to the highest levels of power".
He also maintains a daily blog on blogs.independent.co.uk. His blog has running features including "Questions To Which The Answer Is 'No'", an idea originated by Oliver Kamm
Oliver Kamm
Oliver Kamm is a British writer and journalist. He wrote Anti-Totalitarianism: The Left-wing Case for a Neoconservative Foreign Policy , an advocacy of interventionism in foreign policy....
.
Rentoul is related to 1920s Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
MP, Sir Gervais Rentoul
Gervais Rentoul
Sir Gervais Squire Chittick Rentoul K.C.,M.A. , commonly known as Gervais Rentoul, was a British Conservative politician....
.
He was born in India in 1958, where his father was a minister of the Church of South India
Church of South India
The Church of South India is the successor of the Church of England in India. It came into being in 1947 as a union of Anglican and Protestant churches in South India. With a membership of over 3.8 million, it is India's second largest Christian church after the Roman Catholic Church in India...
. He studied History and English at King's College, Cambridge
King's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college's full name is "The King's College of our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge", but it is usually referred to simply as "King's" within the University....
. He worked on an oil rig before becoming a journalist on Accountancy Age.
Rentoul is a member of the Labour Party, but even though he has been critical of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition, he has been supportive of elements in the Coalition he identifies as Blairite
Blairite
In British politics, the term Blairism refers to the political ideology of former leader of the Labour Party and Prime Minister Tony Blair, who left both positions in 2007 to become Envoy of the Quartet on the Middle East...
or centrist. He is a great critic of Ed Miliband
Ed Miliband
Edward Samuel Miliband is a British Labour Party politician, currently the Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition...
and has repeatedly called for him to resign from his position.
External links
- 'One man's war on clichés (does what it says on the tin)', John Rentoul, The IndependentThe IndependentThe Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, 14 June 2001