Love Home Swap founder Wosskow screened for Channel 4 chair job
Sky News understands that Debbie Wosskow is among the names featuring on a list of candidates to replace Sir Ian Cheshire, who stepped down earlier this year.
The race to lead the state-owned broadcaster's board has acquired additional importance in recent weeks after the resignation of Alex Mahon, its long-serving chief executive.
Ms Mahon, who was a vocal opponent of the last government's proposed privatisation of Channel 4, is leaving to join Superstruct, a private equity-owned live entertainment company.
The appointment of a new chair is expected to take place by the autumn, with the chosen candidate expected to lead the recruitment of Ms Mahon's successor.
Dawn Airey, the veteran television executive, is serving as Channel 4's interim chair but has reportedly ruled herself out of the running for the role on a longer-term basis.
Ms Wosskow is already on the board of Channel 4, having joined as a non-executive director in January last year.
It was unclear on Tuesday whether any of the broadcaster's other non-executives have thrown their hat into the ring to succeed Sir Ian.
Ms Wosskow, who now jointly chairs the Invest In Women taskforce, founded the home exchange start-up Love Home Swap before selling it to Wyndham in 2017.
The appointment of directors of Channel 4 is technically led by Ofcom, the media regulator, in agreement with the culture secretary.
Channel 4 has been contacted for comment, while Ms Wosskow declined to comment when approached by Sky News.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Trump and first lady to visit U.K.'s King Charles this fall
President Trump and first lady Melania Trump will be visiting Britain's King Charles III later this fall, Buckingham Palace announced Sunday. Charles invited the pair for the official visit from Sept. 17-19, the palace said in a statement. The king will host the Trumps at Windsor Castle, the palace said. No further information was released. Mr. Trump likely will not address Parliament like French President Emmanuel Macron did last week, since Parliament will not be in session from Sept. 16 until Oct. 13 due to party conferences, according to Sky News. Mr. Trump and the first lady were hosted by the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2019. That visit was marked by widespread protests, and London Mayor Sadiq Khan slammed Mr. Trump in a video message ahead of his arrival. The announcement of Mr. Trump's trip comes as he has threatened to annex Canada, which shares King Charles as the head of state, as the 51st American state. In an address before Canada's Parliament in May, Charles called it a "critical moment" for Canada. "Today, Canada faces another critical moment," Charles said, adding that "Democracy, pluralism, the rule of law, self-determination and freedom are values which Canadians hold dear, and ones which the government is determined to protect." Mr. Trump has also been attempting to navigate diplomacy as he has slapped tariffs worldwide. In May, Mr. Trump hailed a deal with Britain as a "maxed out deal" that would serve as a template for deals for other nations, but the deal leaves the 10% baseline tariff in place. Sen. Lindsey Graham says "a turning point, regarding Russia's invasion of Ukraine, is coming" Student's unique talent that's for the birds Candy Land, the game that still hits a sweet spot
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Taxing the wealthy won't solve Rachel Reeves's problems
For a moment, the mask seemed to slip. While repeating Labour's manifesto pledge not to raise taxes on working people, Heidi Alexander, the Transport Secretary, went off-script. 'We made a commitment in our manifesto not to be putting up taxes on people on modest incomes, working people. We have stuck to that,' she told Trevor Phillips on Sky News. It is the first time modest earners have been singled out. 'When it comes to taxation, fairness will be our guiding principle,' she added. Alexander also failed to deny that ministers had discussed a wealth tax at a Cabinet away day, saying only 'not directly' when asked if it had been mentioned. Her remarks are a signal of what is to come. Rachel Reeves is faced with a fiscal black hole that could be as large as £30bn come the autumn Budget. With gilt markets on edge and attempts by Sir Keir Starmer to curb public spending ending in tears, it can only mean one thing: big tax rises. Alexander's comments suggest it will be the middle class who are targeted. But economists are warning that there are limits to how much Reeves can raise from higher earners. 'We can have bigger state and more tax on average earners. We can have smaller state and real cuts in public services and benefits. That's it. The choice,' Paul Johnson, the former Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) head, warned last week. David Miles, a member of the Office for Budget Responsibility's (OBR) committee that scrutinises the Government's spending plans, was even more outspoken in his warning to the Chancellor. 'If you try and keep increasing the ratio of taxes to GDP, and look for more and more taxes wherever you can find them, it's very likely that at some point you start creating so many disincentives – to save, invest, work – that you start doing some serious damage to the growth potential of the economy, and it backfires on you,' Miles told CNBC on Friday. 'The ratio of taxes to GDP in the UK is now getting to levels that we really haven't seen since the Second World War. The scope to simply just raise more and more tax revenue is definitely limited.' Over the past 15 years, Britain's high earners have seen their taxes rise significantly, while those on low and middle incomes have been granted big cuts. This means that as Britain's tax burden has risen towards a post-war high, those on modest incomes have escaped the direct hit. Average earners – typically on around £35,000 – are taxed less than at any point in the last 50 years, the IFS noted in 2024. Their tax bill was actually £2,000 lower last year than in 2010. They can in part thank George Osborne, the former chancellor, who raised the tax-free allowance from £6,475 in spring 2011, gradually taking it to £11,500 in 2016-17. It has since risen further to £12,500. The gap between how average and higher income workers are treated by the tax system makes the UK stand out internationally. It ranked 32nd for how much middle earners are taxed among 38 mostly rich countries last year, OECD data shows. Meanwhile, high earners have been hit with several blows over the past 15 years. Their wages have barely risen in real terms, while paying much more in taxes than previously. Anyone fortunate enough to make £200,000 last year was taxed £10,000 more than they would have been in 2009, according to the IFS. As a result, the Treasury has come to rely more on its golden geese. At the turn of the millennium, the top 1pc of earners paid just over 21pc of all income tax receipts. This year they're projected to pay almost 27pc, HMRC figures show. In contrast, the bottom half of all workers contribute just 10pc of all income tax receipts – down from 11.6pc. The lack of appetite for spending cuts suggests the UK is poised to become more like continental Europe. This would mean tax rates would have to rise for both middle and high earners. But the jump would be far bigger for those on middle incomes, according to research. While internationally comparative analysis is hard to come by, one paper from 2019 found that the UK already ranked lowest for taxes on average earners when comparing with 10 wealthy European countries. However, when looking at taxes on the very highest earners, the UK ranked sixth – only a nudge below the famously high-tax Denmark. The fact that the highest earners are yet again being eyed up after welfare about-turns by revenue-hungry officials has not gone unnoticed. One disgruntled so-called 'Henry', an abbreviation for high earners who are not yet rich yet, was quick to ask for recommendations for where to relocate to, declaring on a Reddit forum: 'I've reached my limit for sucking up tax rises.' 'Can't wait for them to spout the 'those with the broadest shoulders' sh--e again, only to wring pensions, Isas, and PAYE. Why is it always working people that get screwed?', another chimed in. Such complaints were foreshadowed by the OBR at the October Budget. The watchdog warned that Reeves was hitting a small group of people with several overlapping policies – such as VAT on school fees, changes to inheritance tax and higher capital gains levies. This makes the behavioural response more difficult to predict, raising the risk of the disincentives that Miles at the OBR warned of. The response to such concerns from many on the Labour Left has been to suggest a wealth tax – ignoring that Britain already taxes wealth in many different ways such as through stamp duty, inheritance tax and capital gains levies. Stuart Adam at the IFS says: 'An annual wealth tax would need to apply broadly to all assets to ensure that it was not easy to avoid. Such a tax could raise significant revenue if it applied to the bulk of the UK's wealth – that would include the homes and pensions of the middle class.' What most people think of when they talk of wealth taxes is probably not their own pension or house. All of this leaves few good options for Reeves. Finding up to £30bn while sparing workers on 'modest' incomes may prove her toughest challenge yet. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Former Metropolitan Police commissioner Lord Ian Blair has died, Sky News understands
Former Metropolitan Police commissioner Lord Ian Blair has died aged 72, Sky News understands. Lord Blair led the force for three years between 2005 and 2008 and was in charge during the 7/7 London bombings. The , which killed 52 people, was on Monday. The Met's response notoriously including the shooting dead of an innocent man, Jean Charles de Menezes, at Stockwell Tube station two weeks later. He was killed under the mistaken belief he was a suicide bomber. False details about how he acted were put out by the Met, insinuating the Brazilian was in some way responsible for what happened. Lord Blair repeated those details and was later accused of a cover-up and obstructing inquiries into the incident. "It effectively blighted his time as commissioner," said Sky News crime correspondent Martin Brunt. "But there were good things. He took hold of the Met and forged a much better relationship with MI5 in the wake of the 7/7 bombings," Brunt adds. "Some of his big things were diversity and he reformed the way the Met recruited - people from ethnic communities. "He was a big supporter of neighbourhood policing. Although that, over the years, dwindled due to a lack of funding; but it's more or less the model police forces across Britain are reintroducing." Originally appointed by Labour, Lord Blair quit as commissioner in late 2008 saying he did not have the confidence of the new Tory mayor Boris Johnson. Lord Blair was seen as a liberal figure - sometimes jokingly referred to as "PC Blair" by other officers - and was active in the House of Lords right up until his death. He joined the police in 1970s and served with other forces before joining the Met, where his work as a detective included investigating the fatal 1987 King's Cross fire. Lord Blair later held senior positions for the Thames Valley and Surrey forces before returning to the capital as deputy commissioner - and then the top job. This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the latest version. You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.
