Laura Kuenssberg

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Laura Kuenssberg
File:Laura Kuenssberg and Rachel Reeves MP.jpg
Kuenssberg at Policy Exchange in 2012
Born 1976 (age 47–48)
Italy
Nationality British
Education Edinburgh University,
Georgetown University
Occupation Journalist

Laura Juliet Kuenssberg (born 1976) is a Scottish journalist, who in July 2015 was appointed as the political editor of BBC News, the first woman to hold the position, in succession to Nick Robinson.[1][2]

Early life and education

The daughter of Scottish businessman Nick Kuenssberg, OBE,[3][4] and his wife Sally Kuenssberg, CBE,[5] her paternal grandfather was the German-born Dr. Ekkehard von Kuenssberg, a founder and president of the Royal College of General Practitioners. Her maternal grandfather was Lord Robertson who was a High Court of Justiciary judge.

Kuenssberg was born in Italy, while her father was working there for Coats Viyella.[6] She grew up in Glasgow, with her brother and sister,[7] and attended Laurel Park School, an independent girls' school.[8]

Kuenssberg studied history at the University of Edinburgh, followed by a journalism course at Georgetown University in Washington D.C.,[9] where she worked on an NBC News political programme.

Her brother is a senior civil servant in the Department for Communities and Local Government and her sister is a diplomat, High Commissioner to Mozambique since 2014.[9][10]

Career

After returning to UK, she worked for local radio and then cable television in Glasgow, before joining BBC North East and Cumbria in March 2000. Kuenssberg won a regional Royal Television Society award for her work as home affairs correspondent,[11] and produced segments for the social affairs editor Niall Dickson. Kuenssberg reported for Channel 4 News prior to moving to the BBC.

Appointed chief political correspondent for BBC News, Kuenssberg reported for BBC One bulletins, The Daily Politics and BBC News Channel. In May 2010, her presence was so ubiquitous in the period between the general election and the formation of a coalition government under David Cameron that journalist David Aaronovitch coined the term "Kuenssbergovision".[12]

In September 2011 Kuenssberg took up the newly created role of business editor for ITV News and was replaced at BBC News by Norman Smith from BBC Radio 4. She also contributed towards business reporting on ITV's current affairs strand, Tonight.[13] On 27 August 2013 she made her debut co-newscasting News at Ten with Alastair Stewart.

On 12 November 2013 it was announced that she would leave ITV to return to the BBC as chief correspondent and a presenter of Newsnight, replacing Gavin Esler in the latter role. She joined the Newsnight team in February 2014.[14][15]

In July 2015 she was appointed as the BBC's political editor, the first woman to hold the position.[8][16]

Kuenssberg was involved in arranging for the Labour MP Stephen Doughty to publicly announce his resignation as a shadow foreign office minister on the Daily Politics television programme in early January 2016. The incident was the subject of an official complaint from Seumas Milne, the Labour Party's director of communications, which was rejected by Robbie Gibb, the BBC's head of live political programmes.[17]

Following the 2016 local elections, a petition on 38 Degrees was begun accusing Kuenssberg of being biased against the Labour Party and its leader Jeremy Corbyn and called for her dismissal.[18] The petition was later withdrawn by David Babbs, executive director of 38 Degrees, citing "sexist and hateful abuse made towards Laura Kuenssberg".[19] However this explanation proved controversial; according to Ian Middleton in The Huffington Post; "if one looks at the list of comments published yesterday, it's difficult to find anything remotely aggressive or sexist" and the accusations of abuse "may have been part of an orchestrated campaign on behalf of those looking to discredit the petition itself".[20]

Personal life

Kuenssberg is married and lives in East London.[21]

References

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  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Royal Television Society – RTS in your area Archived September 25, 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Is Labour facing Glasgow upset? BBC News, 11 November 2009
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

Media offices
Preceded by
None
 Business Editor: ITV News
2011–2013		 Succeeded by
Joel Hills
Preceded by Chief Political Correspondent: BBC News
2009–2011		 Succeeded by
Norman Smith
Preceded by Political Editor: BBC News
2015–		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
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