Andrew Ferguson Neil (born 21 May 1949) is a British journalist and broadcaster. He was editor of ''
The Sunday Times
''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
'' from 1983 to 1994. He has presented various political programmes on the
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
and on
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
. Born in
Paisley,
Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire () (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. Renfrewshire is located in the west central Lowlands. It borders East Renfrewshire, Glasgow, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire and West Dunbartonshire, and lies on the southern ba ...
, Neil attended
Paisley Grammar School
Paisley Grammar School is a secondary school in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Paisley, the largest town in Renfrewshire, Scotland. The school was founded in 1576 by royal charter of James VI of Scotland, King James VI and is situated on Glasgow Road. T ...
, before studying at the
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals; ) is a Public university, public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the List of oldest universities in continuous ...
. He entered journalism in 1973 as a correspondent for ''
The Economist
''The Economist'' is a British newspaper published weekly in printed magazine format and daily on Electronic publishing, digital platforms. It publishes stories on topics that include economics, business, geopolitics, technology and culture. M ...
''.
Neil was appointed editor of ''The Sunday Times'' by
Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch ( ; born 11 March 1931) is an Australian - American retired business magnate, investor, and media mogul. Through his company News Corp, he is the owner of hundreds of List of assets owned by News Corp, local, national, a ...
in 1983, and held this position until 1994. After this, he became a contributor to the ''
Daily Mail
The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily Middle-market newspaper, middle-market Tabloid journalism, tabloid conservative newspaper founded in 1896 and published in London. , it has the List of newspapers in the United Kingdom by circulation, h ...
''. He was chief executive and editor-in-chief of
Press Holdings Media Group. In 1988, he became founding chairman of
Sky TV, also part of Murdoch's
News Corporation
The original incarnation of News Corporation (abbreviated News Corp. and also variously known as News Corporation Limited) was an American Multinational corporation, multinational mass media corporation founded and controlled by media mogul Ru ...
. He worked for the BBC for 25 years until 2020, fronting various programmes, including ''
Sunday Politics'' and ''
This Week'' on
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...
and ''
Daily Politics
''Daily Politics'' is a BBC Television programme which aired between 6 January 2003 and 24 July 2018, presented by Andrew Neil and Jo Coburn. ''Daily Politics'' took an in-depth review of the daily events in both Westminster and other areas a ...
'', ''
Politics Live
''BBC Politics Live'' is a weekday BBC News lunchtime political programme which launched on 3 September 2018. It broadcasts when the Parliament of the United Kingdom, Parliament is in session and during the three-week party conference season.
T ...
'' and ''
The Andrew Neil Show'' on
BBC Two
BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...
. From 2008 until 2024
he was the chairman of Press Holdings, whose titles include ''The Spectator'', and
ITP Media Group
ITP Media Group is a global media company founded in 1987. Its headquarters are in Dubai, and branch offices in Abu Dhabi (Capital of the UAE), Saudi Arabia, India, the United Kingdom, Germany and the USA. ITP has over 60 media brands that attr ...
. Following his departure from the BBC, he became founding chairman of
GB News
GB News is a British free-to-air, editorial, opinion-orientated television and radio news channel. The channel is available on Freeview (UK), Freeview, Freesat, Sky UK, Sky, YouView, Virgin Media and via the internet on Samsung TV Plus, LG web ...
and a presenter on the channel, but resigned in September 2021. He later joined Channel 4 in 2022 as presenter of ''
The Andrew Neil Show'', which shared the same name as his former BBC Two programme. In June 2024 he additionally began hosting a daily broadcast for
Times Radio
Times Radio is a British digital radio station owned by News UK, part of the Murdoch family, Murdoch media empire. It is jointly operated by News Broadcasting (which News UK acquired in 2016, when it was known as ''Wireless Group''), ''The Tim ...
providing political analysis, commentary, interviews and debates.
Early life
Neil was born on 21 May 1949 in
Paisley, Renfrewshire
Paisley ( ; ; ) is a large town situated in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. Located north of the Gleniffer Braes, the town borders the city of Glasgow to the east, and straddles the banks of the White Cart Water, a tributary of the River ...
, to Mary and James Neil. His mother worked in cotton mills during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and his father ran the wartime Cairo fire brigade, worked as an electrician and was a major in the
Territorial Army in Renfrewshire.
He grew up in the
Glenburn area and attended the local Langcraigs Primary School. At 11, Neil passed the qualifying examination and obtained entrance to the selective
Paisley Grammar School
Paisley Grammar School is a secondary school in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Paisley, the largest town in Renfrewshire, Scotland. The school was founded in 1576 by royal charter of James VI of Scotland, King James VI and is situated on Glasgow Road. T ...
.
After school, Neil attended the
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals; ) is a Public university, public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the List of oldest universities in continuous ...
,
where he edited the student newspaper, the ''
Glasgow University Guardian'', and dabbled in student television. He was a member of the
Dialectic Society and the
Conservative Club
The Conservative Club was a London gentlemen's club, now dissolved, which was established in 1840. In 1950 it merged with the Bath Club, and was disbanded in 1981. From 1845 until 1959, the club occupied a building at 74 St James's Street where ...
, and participated in
Glasgow University Union inter-varsity debates. In 1971, he was chairman of the
Federation of Conservative Students. He graduated in 1971, with an
MA with honours in political economy and political science.
He had been tutored by
Vince Cable
Sir John Vincent Cable (born 9 May 1943) is a British politician who was Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 2017 to 2019. He was Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Twickenham (UK Parliament constituency), Twic ...
and had a focus on
American history
The history of the present-day United States began in roughly 15,000 BC with the arrival of Peopling of the Americas, the first people in the Americas. In the late 15th century, European colonization of the Americas, European colonization beg ...
.
Press career
After his graduation, Neil briefly worked as a sports correspondent for a local newspaper, the ''
Paisley Daily Express
The ''Paisley Daily Express'' is a Scottish newspaper based in Glasgow, covering the Renfrewshire area. The paper, which is currently owned by Reach plc has its main offices in Glasgow. The paper is sold in newsagents and general stores throu ...
'', before working for the
Conservative Party. In 1973, he joined ''
The Economist
''The Economist'' is a British newspaper published weekly in printed magazine format and daily on Electronic publishing, digital platforms. It publishes stories on topics that include economics, business, geopolitics, technology and culture. M ...
'' as a correspondent and was later promoted as editor of the publication's section on Britain.
''The Sunday Times''
Neil was editor of ''
The Sunday Times
''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
'' from 1983 to 1994. His hiring was controversial: it was argued he was appointed by
Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch ( ; born 11 March 1931) is an Australian - American retired business magnate, investor, and media mogul. Through his company News Corp, he is the owner of hundreds of List of assets owned by News Corp, local, national, a ...
over more experienced colleagues, such as
Hugo Young and
Brian MacArthur.
Neil told Murdoch before he was appointed editor that ''The Sunday Times'' was intellectually stuck in a 1960s time warp and that it needed to "shake off its
collectivist
In sociology, a social organization is a pattern of relationships between and among individuals and groups. Characteristics of social organization can include qualities such as sexual composition, spatiotemporal cohesion, leadership, struct ...
mind-set to become the champion of a market-led revolution that would shake the British
Establishment to its bones and transform the economy and society".
[Andrew Neil, ''Full Disclosure'' (London: Pan, 1997), p. 32.] Neil later said that although he shared some of Murdoch's right-wing views, "on many matters Rupert was well to the right of me politically. He was a
monetarist
Monetarism is a school of thought in monetary economics that emphasizes the role of policy-makers in controlling the amount of money in circulation. It gained prominence in the 1970s, but was mostly abandoned as a direct guidance to monetary ...
. I was not. Nor did I share his
conservative social outlook".
In his first editorial, on 9 October 1983, Neil advised
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013), was a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of th ...
's government to "move to the right on industrial policy (trust-bust, deregulate, privatise wherever it produces more competition and efficiency) and centre-left in economic strategy (a few billion extra in capital spending would have little impact on interest rates or inflation but could give a lift to a shaky economic recovery)".
''The Sunday Times'' strongly supported the stationing of American
cruise missile
A cruise missile is an unmanned self-propelled guided missile that sustains flight through aerodynamic lift for most of its flight path. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large payload over long distances with high precision. Modern cru ...
s in bases in Britain after the Soviet Union installed
SS-20s in Eastern Europe, and it criticised the resurgent
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) is an organisation that advocates unilateral nuclear disarmament by the United Kingdom, international nuclear disarmament and tighter international arms regulation through agreements such as the Nucl ...
. Neil also wrote editorials supporting the
United States invasion of Grenada
The United States and a coalition of Caribbean countries invaded the small island nation of Grenada, north of Venezuela, at dawn on 25 October 1983. Codenamed Operation Urgent Fury by the U.S. military, it resulted in military occupation with ...
because it would restore democracy there, despite opposition from Hugo Young. Neil replied to Young that he wanted the editorial stance of ''The Sunday Times'' to be "neo-Keynesian in economic policy, radical right in industrial policy, liberal on social matters and European and
Atlanticist
Atlanticism, also known as Transatlanticism or North Atlanticism, is the ideology which advocates a close alliance between nations in Northern America (the United States and Canada) and in Europe on political, economic, and defense issues. The te ...
on foreign policy".
In Neil's first year as the paper's editor, ''The Sunday Times'' had revealed the date of the deployment of cruise missiles, exposed how
Mark Thatcher had channelled the gains from his consultancy business into a bank account and reported on
Robert Mugabe
Robert Gabriel Mugabe (; ; 21 February 1924 – 6 September 2019) was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician who served as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987 and then as President from 1987 to 2017. He served as Leader of th ...
's atrocities in
Matabeleland
Matabeleland is a region located in southwestern Zimbabwe that is divided into three provinces: Matabeleland North, Bulawayo, and Matabeleland South. These provinces are in the west and south-west of Zimbabwe, between the Limpopo and Zambezi ...
. Neil also printed extracts from
Germaine Greer
Germaine Greer (; born 29 January 1939) is an Australian writer and feminist, regarded as one of the major voices of the second-wave feminism movement in the latter half of the 20th century.
Specializing in English and women's literature, she ...
's ''Sex and Destiny'' and from
Francis Pym
Francis Leslie Pym, Baron Pym, (13 February 1922 – 7 March 2008) was a British Conservative Party politician who served in various Cabinet positions in the 1970s and 1980s, including Foreign, Defence and Northern Ireland Secretary, and ...
's anti-Thatcher autobiography, as well as a study of the "Patels of Britain", a celebration of the success of
Britain's Asian community.
Neil regards the newspaper's revelation of details of
Israel's nuclear weapons programme in 1986, by using photographs and testimony from former Israeli nuclear technician
Mordechai Vanunu
Mordechai Vanunu (; born 14 October 1954), also known as John Crossman, is an Israeli former nuclear technician and peace activist who, citing his opposition to weapons of mass destruction, revealed details of Israel's nuclear weapons program ...
, as his greatest scoop as an editor.
During his editorship, the newspaper lost a libel case over claims that it had made concerning a witness,
Carmen Proetta, who was interviewed after her appearance in the ''
Death on the Rock'' documentary on the
Gibraltar shootings. One of ''The Sunday Times'' journalists involved, Rosie Waterhouse, resigned not long afterwards.
On 20 July 1986, ''The Sunday Times'' printed a front-page article (titled 'Queen dismayed by "uncaring" Thatcher') alleging that the Queen believed that
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013), was a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of th ...
's policies were "uncaring, confrontational and socially divisive". The main source of information was the Queen's press secretary,
Michael Shea.
[Moore, ''Margaret Thatcher: The Authorized Biography. Volume Two'', p. 576.] When Buckingham Palace issued a statement rebutting the story, Neil was so angry at what he considered to be the Palace's double-dealing that he refused to print the statement in later editions of ''The Sunday Times''.
In 1987, the Labour-controlled
Strathclyde
Strathclyde ( in Welsh language, Welsh; in Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic, meaning 'strath alley
An alley or alleyway is a narrow lane, footpath, path, or passageway, often reserved for pedestrians, which usually runs between, behind, or within buildings in towns and cities. It is also a rear access or service road (back lane), or a path, w ...
of the River Clyde') was one of nine former Local government in Scotland, local government Regions and districts of Scotland, regions of Scotland cre ...
Regional Authority wanted to close down Neil's old school, Paisley Grammar School. After finding the secretary of state for Scotland,
Malcolm Rifkind
Sir Malcolm Leslie Rifkind (born 21 June 1946) is a British politician who served in the cabinets of Margaret Thatcher and John Major from 1986 to 1997, and most recently as chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament from 2 ...
, indifferent to the school's future, Neil contacted Margaret Thatcher's policy adviser,
Brian Griffiths, to try and save the school. When Griffiths informed Thatcher of Strathclyde's plan to close it she issued a new regulation that gave the Scottish secretary the power to save schools where 80 per cent of the parents were opposed to the local authority's closure plan, thereby saving Paisley Grammar.
While at ''The Sunday Times'' in 1988, Neil met the former
Miss India,
Pamella Bordes, in a nightclub, an inappropriate place for someone with Neil's job according to
Peregrine Worsthorne.
The ''
News of the World
The ''News of the World'' was a weekly national "Tabloid journalism#Red tops, red top" Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published every Sunday in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the world's highest-selling ...
'' suggested Bordes was a
call girl
A call girl or female escort is a prostitute who (unlike a street prostitution, street walker) does not display her profession to the general public, nor does she usually work in an institution like a brothel, although she may be employed by ...
.
Worsthorne argued in an editorial article "Playboys as Editors" in March 1989 for ''
The Sunday Telegraph
''The Sunday Telegraph'' is a British broadsheet newspaper, first published on 5 February 1961 and published by the Telegraph Media Group, a division of Press Holdings. It is the sister paper of ''The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Tele ...
'' that Neil was not fit to edit a serious Sunday newspaper. Worsthorne effectively accused Neil of knowing that Bordes was a prostitute.
He apparently did not know about Bordes,
which the ''Telegraph'' had accepted by the time the libel case came to
High Court of Justice
The High Court of Justice in London, known properly as His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England, together with the Court of Appeal (England and Wales), Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Courts of England and Wales, Senior Cour ...
in January 1990,
but the paper still defended their coverage as
fair comment
Fair comment is a legal term for a common law defense in defamation cases (libel or slander). It is referred to as honest comment in some countries.
United States
In the United States, the traditional privilege (inherited from British common law ...
. Neil won both the case and £1,000 in damages
[Ben Summerskil]
"Paper tiger"
''The Observer'', 28 July 2002 plus costs.
In a July 1988 editorial ("Morals for the majority") Neil said that in Britain there were emerging pockets of social decay and unsocial behaviour: "a social rot ... has gone deeper than the industrial decay of the 1960s and 1970s". Having been impressed with
Charles Murray's study of the American welfare state, ''
Losing Ground'', Neil invited Murray to Britain in 1989 to study Britain's emerging
underclass
The underclass is the segment of the population that occupies the lowest possible position in a social class, class hierarchy, below the core body of the working class. This group is usually considered cut off from the rest of the society.
The g ...
. ''The Sunday Times Magazine'' of 26 November 1989 was largely devoted to Murray's report, which found that the British underclass consisted of people existing on welfare, the
black economy and crime, with illegitimacy being the single most reliable predictor. The accompanying editorial said Britain was in the midst of a "social tragedy of Dickensian proportions", with an underclass "characterized by drugs, casual violence, petty crime, illegitimate children, homelessness, work avoidance and contempt for conventional values".
Under Neil's editorship, ''The Sunday Times'' opposed the
poll tax
A poll tax, also known as head tax or capitation, is a tax levied as a fixed sum on every liable individual (typically every adult), without reference to income or resources. ''Poll'' is an archaic term for "head" or "top of the head". The sen ...
. In his memoirs, Neil said that his opposition to the poll tax crystallised when he discovered that his cleaner would be paying more poll tax than himself at a time when his income tax had just been reduced to 40% from 60%. During the
1990 Conservative Party leadership election
The 1990 Conservative Party leadership election was called on 14 November 1990 following the decision of Michael Heseltine, former Secretary of State for Defence, defence and environment secretary, to challenge Margaret Thatcher, the Premiersh ...
, ''The Sunday Times'' was the only Murdoch-owned newspaper to support
Michael Heseltine
Michael Ray Dibdin Heseltine, Baron Heseltine, (; born 21 March 1933) is a British politician. Having begun his career as a property developer, he became one of the founders of the publishing house Haymarket Media Group in 1957. Heseltine se ...
against Thatcher.
[Campbell, ''Margaret Thatcher, Volume Two'', p. 729.] Neil blamed Thatcher for high inflation, "misplaced chauvinism" over Europe, and the poll tax, concluding that she had become an "electoral liability" and must therefore be replaced by Heseltine.
In an editorial of January 1988 ("Modernize the monarchy"), Neil advocated the abolition of both the preference for males in the law of succession and of the exclusion of Catholics from the throne. Subsequent editorials of ''The Sunday Times'' called for the Queen to pay income tax and advocated a scaled-down monarchy that would not be class-based but which would be "an institution with close links to all classes. That meant clearing out the old-school courtiers ... and creating a court which was far more representative of the multi-racial meritocracy that Britain was becoming". In an editorial of February 1991 Neil criticised some minor members of the Royal Family for their behaviour while the country was at war in the
Gulf
A gulf is a large inlet from an ocean or their seas into a landmass, larger and typically (though not always) with a narrower opening than a bay (geography), bay. The term was used traditionally for large, highly indented navigable bodies of s ...
. In 1992 Neil obtained for ''The Sunday Times'' the serialisation rights for
Andrew Morton's book ''Diana: Her True Story'', which revealed the breakdown of
Princess Diana
Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William ...
's marriage as well as her bulimia and her suicide attempts.
In 1992 Neil was criticised by anti-Nazi groups
and historians including
Hugh Trevor-Roper
Hugh Redwald Trevor-Roper, Baron Dacre of Glanton, (15 January 1914 – 26 January 2003) was an English historian. He was Regius Professor of Modern History (Oxford), Regius Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford.
Trevor-Rope ...
[Peter Pringle and David Liste]
"Hitler apologist does deal for Goebbels war diaries: 'Sunday Times' contract with David Irving over rediscovered Nazi material alarms scholars"
''The Independent'' 3 July 1992 for employing the
Holocaust denier
Denial of the Holocaust is an antisemitic conspiracy theory that asserts that the genocide of Jews by the Nazis is a fabrication or exaggeration. It includes making one or more of the following false claims:
*Nazi Germany's "Final Solution" wa ...
David Irving
David John Cawdell Irving (born 24 March 1938) is an English author and Holocaust denier who has written on the military and political history of World War II, especially Nazi Germany. He was found to be a Holocaust denier in a British court ...
to translate the diaries of
Joseph Goebbels
Paul Joseph Goebbels (; 29 October 1897 – 1 May 1945) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician and philologist who was the ''Gauleiter'' (district leader) of Berlin, chief Propaganda in Nazi Germany, propagandist for the Nazi Party, and ...
.
[Rosie Waterhouse, et a]
"Irving back to anti-Nazi fury"
''The Independent on Sunday'', 5 July 1992
End of the Murdoch connection
According to Neil, he was replaced as ''Sunday Times'' editor in 1994 because Murdoch had become envious of his celebrity.
Many years later, in November 2017, former Conservative cabinet minister
Kenneth Clarke
Kenneth Harry Clarke, Baron Clarke of Nottingham (born 2 July 1940) is a British politician who served as Home Secretary from 1992 to 1993 and Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1993 to 1997. A member of the Conservative Party (UK), Conservative ...
said Neil had been removed because Neil's article about corruption in the Malaysian government of
Mahathir Mohamad
Mahathir bin Mohamad (; ; born 10 July 1925) is a Malaysian politician, author and doctor who was respectively the fourth and seventh Prime Minister of Malaysia, prime minister of Malaysia from 1981 to 2003 and from 2018 to 2020. He was the ...
conflicted with Murdoch's desire to acquire a television franchise in the country. The Malaysian prime minister at the time told Clarke on a ministerial visit that he had achieved Neil's sacking after a telephone conversation with Murdoch. The conflict between Neil and Mahathir did become public knowledge at the time.
The British minister of state for trade
Richard Needham criticised Neil and the newspaper for potentially putting thousands of jobs at risk.
Neil's departure from his role as ''Sunday Times'' editor was officially reported in 1994 as being merely temporary, as he was to present and edit a current affairs programme for
Fox in New York. "During my time, the ''Sunday Times'' has been at the centre of every major controversy in Britain", he said at the time. "These are the kind of journalistic values I want to reproduce at Fox". Neil's new television programme did not make it to air. A pilot produced in September had a mixed internal response, and Murdoch cancelled the entire project in late October. Neil did not return to his job as ''Sunday Times'' editor.
Post-News Corp career
Neil became a contributor to the ''
Daily Mail
The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily Middle-market newspaper, middle-market Tabloid journalism, tabloid conservative newspaper founded in 1896 and published in London. , it has the List of newspapers in the United Kingdom by circulation, h ...
''. In 1996, he became editor-in-chief of the
Barclay brothers
Sir David Rowat Barclay (27 October 1934 – 10 January 2021) and Sir Frederick Hugh Barclay (born 27 October 1934), commonly referred to as the "Barclay Brothers" or "Barclay Twins", were British billionaire brothers, of whom Frederick Barclay ...
'
Press Holdings
Press Holdings and May Corporation Limited are two Jersey-registered holding companies owned by Frederick Barclay, which control the UK holding company Press Acquisitions Limited, which in turn owns the Telegraph Media Group, parent company of ' ...
group of newspapers, owner of ''
The Scotsman
''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact (newspaper), compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until ...
'', ''
Sunday Business'' (later just ''
The Business'') and ''
The European''. Press Holdings sold ''The Scotsman'' in December 2005, ending Neil's relationship with the newspaper. Neil has not enjoyed great success with the circulations of the newspapers (indeed ''The European'' folded shortly after he took over). ''The Business'' closed down in February 2008. He exchanged his role as chief executive of Press Holdings for chairman in July 2008.
He is chairman of the Press Holdings title ''
The Spectator
''The Spectator'' is a weekly British political and cultural news magazine. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving magazine in the world. ''The Spectator'' is politically conservative, and its principal subject a ...
''.
In January 2024, Neil told BBC Newsnight that he would quit his role as chairman of ''The Spectator'' if a UAE-US consortium is successful in its proposed takeover of the magazine and its sister publication ''the Daily Telegraph.'' In September 2024, following the acquisition of ''The Spectator'' by
Paul Marshall, he resigned as chairman.
Since 2006 Neil has been chair of the
Dubai
Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...
-based publishing company
ITP Media Group
ITP Media Group is a global media company founded in 1987. Its headquarters are in Dubai, and branch offices in Abu Dhabi (Capital of the UAE), Saudi Arabia, India, the United Kingdom, Germany and the USA. ITP has over 60 media brands that attr ...
.
In June 2008, Neil led a consortium which bought talent agency Peters, Fraser & Dunlop (PFD) from CSS Stellar plc for £4 million, making him chairman of the new company in addition to his other activities. Neil served as Lord Rector of the
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews (, ; abbreviated as St And in post-nominals) is a public university in St Andrews, Scotland. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest of the four ancient universities of Scotland and, f ...
from 1999 to 2002.
Broadcasting career
As well as Neil's newspaper activities he has maintained a television career. While he worked for ''The Economist'', he provided news reports to American networks.
His regular interview series for
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
, ''
Is This Your Life?'' (made by
Open Media), was nominated for a
BAFTA
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...
award for "Best Talk Show". In the course of the series Neil interviewed a wide variety of personalities, from
Albert Reynolds
Albert Martin Reynolds (3 November 1932 – 21 August 2014) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach and Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1992 to 1994. He held various cabinet positions between 1979 and 1991, including Ministe ...
and
Morris Cerullo
Morris Cerullo (October 2, 1931 – July 10, 2020) was an American Pentecostal evangelist. He traveled extensively around the world for his ministry. He hosted ''Victory Today'', a daily television program, and published more than 80 books.
Ce ...
to
Jimmy Savile
Sir James Wilson Vincent Savile (; 31 October 1926 – 29 October 2011) was an English media personality and DJ. He was known for his eccentric image, charitable work, and hosting the BBC shows ''Top of the Pops'' and ''Jim'll Fix It''. A ...
and
Max Clifford
Maxwell Frank Clifford (6 April 1943 – 10 December 2017) was an English publicist and convicted sex offender who was particularly associated with promoting " kiss and tell" stories in tabloid newspapers.
In December 2012, as part of Operat ...
. He acted as a television newsreader in two films: ''
Dirty Weekend'' (1993) and ''
Parting Shots'' (1999), both directed by
Michael Winner
Michael Robert Winner (30 October 1935 – 21 January 2013) was an English filmmaker, writer, and media personality. He is known for directing numerous action, thriller, and black comedy films in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, including several c ...
.
Sky

In 1988 he became founding chairman of
Sky TV, also part of Murdoch's
News Corporation
The original incarnation of News Corporation (abbreviated News Corp. and also variously known as News Corporation Limited) was an American Multinational corporation, multinational mass media corporation founded and controlled by media mogul Ru ...
. Neil was instrumental in the company's launch, overseeing the transformation of a downmarket, single-channel satellite service into a four-channel network in less than a year. Neil and Murdoch stood side by side at Sky's new headquarters in
Isleworth
Isleworth ( ) is a suburban town in the London Borough of Hounslow, West London, England.
It lies immediately east of Hounslow and west of the River Thames and its tributary the River Crane, London, River Crane. Isleworth's original area of ...
on 5 February 1989 to witness the launch of the service. Sky was not an instant success; the uncertainty caused by the competition provided by
British Satellite Broadcasting
British Satellite Broadcasting plc (BSB) was a television company, based in London, that provided satellite television, direct broadcast satellite television services to the United Kingdom. It started broadcasting on 25 March 1990. The company ...
(BSB) and the initial shortage of satellite dishes were early problems.
The failure of BSB in November 1990 led to a merger, but a few programmes acquired by BSB were screened on
Sky One
Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non- terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...
and BSB's satellites were sold. The new company was called
British Sky Broadcasting
Sky UK Limited (formerly British Sky Broadcasting Limited (BSkyB)), trading as Sky, is a British broadcaster and telecommunications company that provides television, broadband internet, fixed line and mobile telephone services to consumers a ...
(BSkyB). The merger may have saved Sky financially; despite its popularity, Sky had very few major advertisers to begin with, and it was beginning to suffer from embarrassing breakdowns. Acquiring BSB's healthier advertising contracts and equipment apparently solved the problems. BSkyB would not make a profit for a decade but by July 2010, it was one of the most profitable television companies in Europe.
BBC
At ''The Sunday Times'', he contributed to BBC, both radio and television. He commented on the various controversies provoked by the paper while he was editor. During the 1990s, Neil fronted political programmes for the BBC, including ''
Despatch Box
A despatch box (alternatively dispatch box) is one of several types of boxes used in government business. Despatch boxes primarily include both those sometimes known as Red box (government), red boxes or ministerial boxes, which are used by the ...
'' on
BBC Two
BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...
.

Following the revamp of the BBC's political programming in early 2003, Neil presented the live political programmes, ''
This Week'' on
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...
and ''
Daily Politics
''Daily Politics'' is a BBC Television programme which aired between 6 January 2003 and 24 July 2018, presented by Andrew Neil and Jo Coburn. ''Daily Politics'' took an in-depth review of the daily events in both Westminster and other areas a ...
'' on BBC Two. The latter ended in 2018 and was replaced by ''
Politics Live
''BBC Politics Live'' is a weekday BBC News lunchtime political programme which launched on 3 September 2018. It broadcasts when the Parliament of the United Kingdom, Parliament is in session and during the three-week party conference season.
T ...
'', which Neil presented until he left the corporation.
From 2007 to 2010, he presented the weekly one-on-one political interview programme ''Straight Talk with Andrew Neil'' on the
BBC News channel
The BBC News channel is a British free-to-air public broadcast television news channel owned and operated by the BBC. The channel is based at and broadcasts from Broadcasting House in the West End of London from which it is anchored during ...
. He also presented ''
Sunday Politics'' on BBC One between 2012 and 2017 and occasionally guest presented ''
Newsnight
''Newsnight'' is the BBC's news and current affairs programme, providing in-depth investigation and analysis of the stories behind the day's headlines. It is broadcast weeknights at 10:30 on BBC Two and the BBC News channel; it is also avail ...
'' on BBC Two following host
Jeremy Paxman
Jeremy Dickson Paxman (born 11 May 1950) is an English former broadcaster, journalist and author, born in Yorkshire.
Born in Leeds, Paxman was educated at Malvern College and St Catharine's College, Cambridge, where he edited the undergraduate ...
's departure in 2014.
During the BBC's general election night coverage in
2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
, Neil interviewed various celebrities on the
River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...
. In the
2015 election, Neil interviewed political figures in the BBC studio. He also provided commentary on foreign elections, and with
Katty Kay led the BBC's overnight live coverage of the
US presidential election in 2016. In the run-up to the
2017 general election he interviewed five of the political party leaders on BBC One in ''The Andrew Neil Interviews''.
Neil earned £200,000 to £249,999 as a BBC presenter in the financial year 2016–17.
In May 2019, Neil interviewed
Ben Shapiro
Benjamin Aaron Shapiro (born January 15, 1984) is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative political commentator, media host, and attorney. He writes columns for Creators Syndicate, ''Newsweek'', and ''Ami Magazine'', an ...
, an American conservative commentator, on ''Politics Live'' on BBC Two.
Shapiro was promoting his new book, ''
The Right Side of History'', which discusses
Judeo-Christian
The term ''Judeo-Christian'' is used to group Christianity and Judaism together, either in reference to Christianity's derivation from Judaism, Christianity's recognition of Jewish scripture to constitute the Old Testament of the Christian Bibl ...
values and asserts their decline in the United States.
Shapiro took offence to the questioning, accused Neil of having a left-leaning bias, and said Neil was trying to make a "quick buck... off of the fact that I'm popular and no one has ever heard of you", before Shapiro ended the interview. Shapiro later apologised for the incident.
During the
2019 Conservative Party leadership election
The 2019 Conservative Party leadership election was triggered when Theresa May announced on 24 May 2019 that she would resign as Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), leader of the Conservative Party on 7 June and as Prime Minister of the Unite ...
, Neil interviewed candidates
Jeremy Hunt
Sir Jeremy Richard Streynsham Hunt (born 1 November 1966) is a British politician who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2022 to 2024 and Foreign Secretary from 2018 to 2019, having previously served as Secretary of State for Health a ...
and
Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (born 19 June 1964) is a British politician and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He wa ...
, in ''The Andrew Neil Interviews.'' Director of BBC News
Fran Unsworth hailed it as "a masterclass of political interviewing".
In August 2019, the BBC announced that Neil would host a prime-time political programme that would run through autumn 2019 on BBC Two, called ''
The Andrew Neil Show''. The show included "in-depth analysis and forensic questioning of key political players". It was suspended due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
in March 2020 and then cancelled as the BBC went through with budget cuts.
On 24 September 2019, Neil presented a live programme on BBC One entitled ''BBC News Special: Politics in Crisis'', addressing the
Supreme Court
In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
judgement
Judgement (or judgment) is the evaluation of given circumstances to make a decision. Judgement is also the ability to make considered decisions.
In an informal context, a judgement is opinion expressed as fact. In the context of a legal tria ...
which deemed Boris Johnson's prorogation of parliament unlawful. In the run-up to the
2019 general election, Neil interviewed all the leaders of the main political parties, excluding Johnson, having delivered a monologue in ''The Andrew Neil Interviews'' issuing him a challenge to participate.
On 15 July 2020 the BBC announced that Neil was in talks about an interview show on BBC One.
The next month he was discussed in the media as
Sir David Clementi's possible successor as
chairman of the BBC; he later said he had no interest in the role. The
Director-General of the BBC
The director-general of the British Broadcasting Corporation is chief executive and (from 1994) editor-in-chief of the BBC.
The post-holder was formerly appointed by the Board of Governors of the BBC (for the period 1927 to 2007) and then the ...
,
Tim Davie, on his second day in the role, held talks with Neil "in an attempt to get him back to the BBC" and it was reported that he was also in discussions with executives from commercial rivals.
Neil's final appearance for the BBC was when he presented coverage of the
2020 US presidential election, again with Katty Kay.
GB News
On 25 September 2020, Neil announced his exit from the BBC to become chairman of
GB News
GB News is a British free-to-air, editorial, opinion-orientated television and radio news channel. The channel is available on Freeview (UK), Freeview, Freesat, Sky UK, Sky, YouView, Virgin Media and via the internet on Samsung TV Plus, LG web ...
, a news channel launched on 13 June 2021.
As well as being chairman, he presented ''Andrew Neil'', a
prime time
Prime time, or peak time, is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for television shows. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...
evening programme on the channel.
Two weeks after the channel's launch, after having hosted eight episodes of his show, he announced he would be taking a break.
He spent months in his hiatus involved in legal disputes with GB News over ending his contract. However, Neil and the channel publicly maintained that he was taking a holiday,
and he was expected to rejoin the channel in early September. As that time approached, multiple news sources reported that his return had been postponed, with some speculating that this postponement might become indefinite.
It was further reported that he was "highly unlikely" to return to the channel.
On 13 September 2021, Neil resigned from GB News as chairman and lead presenter and announced he would enter a new role as a guest contributor. Later that month, on the BBC's ''
Question Time'', he said that he had left his roles at GB News over the direction the channel was taking, and that he had become a "minority of one" within senior management. It was reported that these remarks had angered GB News bosses and that Neil would not be appearing on GB News again.
On 22 September, Neil said he would not return to GB News.
Neil later described his decision to lead the channel as the "single biggest mistake" of his career, comparing the channel to
Fox News
The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conservatism in the United States, conservative List of news television channels, news and political commentary Television stati ...
.
Return to Channel 4
In January 2022, it was reported that Neil was in talks with
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
about presenting a weekly politics show to be launched later in 2022. On 30 January, Channel 4 aired a documentary, ''Boris Johnson: Has He Run Out of Road?'', in which Neil explored the future of
Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (born 19 June 1964) is a British politician and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He wa ...
's premiership following
repeated allegations of parties held in Downing Street during the COVID-19 lockdown. On 21 February, Channel 4 announced he would host a show beginning in May, which would also be accompanied by a weekly podcast. ''
The Andrew Neil Show'' launched with an interview with cabinet minister
Jacob Rees-Mogg, and Neil was also joined by journalists
Pippa Crerar and Madeline Grant.
Times Radio
Since May 2024, Andrew Neil hosts a daily-scheduled lunchtime show on
Times Radio
Times Radio is a British digital radio station owned by News UK, part of the Murdoch family, Murdoch media empire. It is jointly operated by News Broadcasting (which News UK acquired in 2016, when it was known as ''Wireless Group''), ''The Tim ...
, from 1pm to 2pm, in which he provides commentaries and in-depth analysis on current domestic and international affairs, joined by
Times journalists, other press columnists or political guests.
Political positions
War in Afghanistan
Neil was a vocal and enthusiastic proponent of
British military involvement in Afghanistan. Neil derided those who opposed the war as "wimps with no will to fight", while labelling ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' as ''The Daily Terrorist'' and the ''
New Statesman
''The New Statesman'' (known from 1931 to 1964 as the ''New Statesman and Nation'') is a British political and cultural news magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first c ...
'' as the ''New Taliban'' for publishing dissenting opinions about the wisdom of British military involvement.
For questioning whether "Bush and Blair are leading us deeper and deeper into a quagmire", Neil ridiculed ''
Daily Mail
The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily Middle-market newspaper, middle-market Tabloid journalism, tabloid conservative newspaper founded in 1896 and published in London. , it has the List of newspapers in the United Kingdom by circulation, h ...
'' columnist
Stephen Glover, calling him "woolly, wimpy" and "juvenile".
[ He compared ]Tony Blair
Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He was Leader ...
to Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...
and Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden (10 March 19572 May 2011) was a militant leader who was the founder and first general emir of al-Qaeda. Ideologically a pan-Islamist, Bin Laden participated in the Afghan ''mujahideen'' against the Soviet Union, and support ...
to Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
, while describing the United States invasion of Afghanistan
Shortly after the September 11 attacks in 2001, the United States declared the war on terror and subsequently led a multinational military operation against Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. The stated goal was to dismantle al-Qaeda, which had exe ...
as a "calibrated response" and a "patient, precise and successful deployment of US military power".
War in Iraq
Neil was an early advocate of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, describing the case for war and regime change advanced by Tony Blair
Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He was Leader ...
and George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
as "convincing" and "masterful".[ In 2002, Neil wrote that Iraq had "embarked on a worldwide shopping spree to buy the technology and material needed to construct weapons of mass destruction – and the missile systems needed to deliver them across great distances", and that "the suburbs of Baghdad are now dotted with secret installations, often posing as hospitals or schools, developing missile fuel, bodies and guidance systems, chemical and biological warheads and, most sinister of all, a renewed attempt to develop nuclear weapons."][ He wrote that ]Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician and revolutionary who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 1979 until Saddam Hussein statue destruction, his overthrow in 2003 during the 2003 invasion of Ira ...
would provide Al-Qaeda
, image = Flag of Jihad.svg
, caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions
, founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden
, leaders = {{Plainlist,
* Osama bin Lad ...
with weapons of mass destruction
A weapon of mass destruction (WMD) is a Biological agent, biological, chemical weapon, chemical, Radiological weapon, radiological, nuclear weapon, nuclear, or any other weapon that can kill or significantly harm many people or cause great dam ...
, and that Saddam had links to the September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
.[
]
Climate change
Neil has been accused of rejecting the scientific consensus on climate change
There is a nearly unanimous scientific consensus that the Earth has been consistently warming since the start of the Industrial Revolution, that the rate of recent warming is largely unprecedented, and that this warming is mainly the result o ...
and was criticised for frequently inviting non-scientists and climate change deniers to deny climate change on his BBC programmes. In 2012, Bob Ward of the at the London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...
, said that Neil had "rarely, if ever, included a climate scientist
Climatology (from Greek , ''klima'', "slope"; and , ''-logia'') or climate science is the scientific study of Earth's climate, typically defined as weather conditions averaged over a period of at least 30 years. Climate concerns the atmospheric ...
in any of its debates about global warming" on his BBC programme ''Daily Politics''. Ward wrote in ''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' in 2011 that Neil let inaccurate and misleading statements about climate change go unchallenged on ''Daily Politics''.
In November 2020, Neil said that climate change was real and needed to be confronted. He criticised protests by Extinction Rebellion
Extinction Rebellion (abbreviated as XR) is a UK-founded global environmental movement, with the stated aim of using nonviolent civil disobedience to compel government action to avoid tipping points in the climate system, biodiversity loss, and ...
on Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces me ...
, stating: "I've interviewed Extinction Rebellion on several occasions and most of what they say is total nonsense or total exaggeration."
HIV/AIDS
During Neil's time as editor, ''The Sunday Times'' backed a campaign to falsely claim that HIV
The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...
was not a cause of AIDS
The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...
. In 1990, ''The Sunday Times'' serialised a book by an American right-winger who rejected the scientific consensus on the causes of AIDS, and who falsely claimed that AIDS could not spread to heterosexuals. Articles and editorials in ''The Sunday Times'' cast doubt on the scientific consensus, described HIV as a "politically correct virus" about which there was a "conspiracy of silence," disputed that AIDS was spreading in Africa, claimed that tests for HIV were invalid, described the HIV/AIDS treatment drug azidothymidine (AZT) as harmful, and characterised the World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...
(WHO) as an "Empire-building AIDS rganisation"
The pseudoscientific
Pseudoscience consists of statements, beliefs, or practices that claim to be both scientific and factual but are incompatible with the scientific method. Pseudoscience is often characterized by contradictory, exaggerated or unfalsifiable cl ...
coverage of HIV/AIDS in ''The Sunday Times'' led the scientific journal ''Nature
Nature is an inherent character or constitution, particularly of the Ecosphere (planetary), ecosphere or the universe as a whole. In this general sense nature refers to the Scientific law, laws, elements and phenomenon, phenomena of the physic ...
'' to monitor the newspaper's coverage and to publish letters rebutting the falsehoods printed in ''The Sunday Times''. In response to this, ''The Sunday Times'' published an article headlined "AIDS – why we won't be silenced", which said that ''Nature'' engaged in censorship and "sinister intent". In his 1996 book, ''Full Disclosure'', Neil wrote that his HIV/AIDS denialism "deserved publication to encourage debate." That same year, he wrote that ''The Sunday Times'' had been vindicated in its coverage, "The Sunday Times was one of a handful of newspapers, perhaps the most prominent, which argued that heterosexual Aids was a myth. The figures are now in and this newspaper stands totally vindicated... The history of Aids is one of the great scandals of our time. I do not blame doctors and the Aids lobby for warning that everybody might be at risk in the early days, when ignorance was rife and reliable evidence scant." He criticised the "AIDS establishment" and said "Aids had become an industry, a job-creation scheme for the caring classes."
In a 2021 interview Neil said that he now regretted certain aspects of the paper's coverage of HIV and AIDS, but he was unwilling or unable to accept any personal responsibility for the falsehoods published while he was editor. Neil chose instead to blame an employee, stating that he had placed faith in a trusted correspondent who was found to be wrong.
Republicanism
In January 1997, ITV broadcast a live television debate ''Monarchy: The Nation Decides'', in which Neil spoke in favour of establishing a republic. When asked in 2021 by the BBC if he was still a republican, he changed his mind, saying "Not really."
''Private Eye''
The British satirical and investigative journalism magazine ''Private Eye
''Private Eye'' is a British fortnightly satirical and current affairs (news format), current affairs news magazine, founded in 1961. It is published in London and has been edited by Ian Hislop since 1986. The publication is widely recognised ...
'' has referred to Neil by the nickname "Brillo" after his wiry hair, which is seen as bearing a resemblance to a Brillo Pad
Brillo is a trade name for a scouring pad, used for cleaning dishes, and made from steel wool filled with soap. The concept was patented in 1913, at a time when aluminium pots and pans were replacing cast iron in the kitchen; the new cookware ...
, a brand of scouring pad
A scouring pad or scourer is a small pad of metal or plastic mesh used for wiktionary:scour, scouring a surface. Some scouring pads have one side made of a soft sponge-like material and the other is the aforementioned mesh.
History
The scouri ...
.
In a long-running joke, a photograph of Neil wearing a vest and baseball cap in an embrace with a much younger woman (often mistaken for Pamella Bordes, a former ''Miss India'', but really an African American make-up artist with whom Neil was once involved)[Mary Riddel]
"Non-stop Neil, at home alone"
, ''British Journalism Review'', Vol. 16, No. 2, 2005, p13-20 appeared regularly in the letters page of the magazine for some years, and is still used occasionally. Typically, a reader will ask the editor if he has any photographs relevant to some topical news item, frequently with a veiled allusion to the age-gap between two individuals, or to ethnic diversity. By double entendre
A double entendre (plural double entendres) is a figure of speech or a particular way of wording that is devised to have a double meaning, one of which is typically obvious, and the other often conveys a message that would be too socially unacc ...
, the letter can be construed as a request for this photo, which is duly published alongside. Neil claims to find it "fascinating" and an example of "public school racism" on the part of the magazine's editorial staff.
Personal life
Neil lives in Grasse
Grasse (; Provençal dialect, Provençal in classical norm or in Mistralian norm ; traditional ) is the only Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur Re ...
in the south of France and also has homes in Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an area in West London, England, due south-west of Kilometre zero#Great Britain, Charing Cross by approximately . It lies on the north bank of the River Thames and for postal purposes is part of the SW postcode area, south-western p ...
and Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan, serving as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Building, the ...
, New York City, an apartment within the Trump World Tower. Neil married Susan Nilsson, a Swedish communications director, on 8 August 2015.
Neil has threatened to sue American businesswoman Jennifer Arcuri over claims she made on Twitter linking Neil to the billionaire and child sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein
Jeffrey Edward Epstein ( , ; January 20, 1953August 10, 2019) was an American financier and child sex offender. Born and raised in New York City, Epstein began his professional career as a teacher at the Dalton School, despite lacking a col ...
, as well as other Twitter users who retweeted or endorsed her now-deleted tweet. Neil denies ever meeting Epstein and argues he was put in his infamous "black book" by Ghislaine Maxwell
Ghislaine Noelle Marion Maxwell ( ; born 25 December 1961) is a British-French-American former socialite and convicted sex offender. She was found guilty of child sex trafficking and other offences in connection with the deceased financier and ...
, Epstein's procurer.
After watching ''Gomorrah'', Neil developed an interest in Italian rap music, calling it "the best rap music there is."
Honours
Honorary degrees
Memberships and fellowships
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Neil, Andrew
1949 births
Living people
20th-century Scottish newspaper publishers (people)
Alumni of the University of Glasgow
BBC newsreaders and journalists
British republicans
Broadcasters from Paisley, Renfrewshire
Conservative Party (UK) people
GB News newsreaders and journalists
Journalists from Paisley, Renfrewshire
People educated at Paisley Grammar School
Press Holdings
Rectors of the University of St Andrews
Scottish chief executives
Scottish expatriates in France
Scottish magazine editors
Scottish newspaper editors
Scottish political commentators
Scottish television presenters
The Spectator people
The Sunday Times people
Writers from Paisley, Renfrewshire