Latest news with #Dinsmore
Sky News
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Sky News
Hillsborough bereaved hit out at reported appointment of former Sun editor to senior government role
Families bereaved by the Hillsborough disaster have urged Sir Keir Starmer to reconsider the reported appointment of a former Sun editor to a senior government role. David Dinsmore, who edited the tabloid newspaper from 2013 to 2015 and is now the chief operating officer of its parent company News UK, is expected to become permanent secretary for communications. In a letter to the prime minister, Hillsborough families have claimed he is "manifestly unsuitable" for the role because of his association with The Sun, which is widely reviled on Merseyside because of its reporting of the tragedy. In 1989, four days after the stadium crush, The Sun's front page had the headline 'The Truth' and included unfounded claims that some Liverpool fans had urinated on police officers resuscitating the dying, and that some had stolen from the dead. The reporting led to a city-wide boycott that remains in place to this day. The letter to Sir Keir said: "After the Hillsborough disaster in the midst of unimaginable suffering among the bereaved and the survivors, the Sun newspaper published vicious lies about the conduct of fans. "Graphic and false allegations cast the deceased and those who survived as barbaric, feckless and inhumane." The signatories, which include survivors and victims of other scandals, called Mr Dinsmore "manifestly unsuitable for public appointment". They also highlighted delays to the long-promised Hillsborough Law, adding: "This appointment gives us less reason to trust the government. "It risks damaging public confidence in the state among those affected by Hillsborough, everyone connected to Liverpool, and all who feel solidarity with them." The Sun apologised for its coverage of Hillsborough in 2012, after an independent panel concluded that no Liverpool fans were responsible in any way for the disaster, and that the main cause was failings by police which were subsequently covered up. In 2016, an inquest jury found the victims were unlawfully killed. Charlotte Hennessy, who lost her father Jimmy Hennessy in the tragedy when she was six years old, told Sky News the claims in the Sun "is one of the main reasons why we had to fight for so long", as she urged the prime minister to "backtrack on appointing someone so unsuitable for public office as Dinsmore". The decision has also been criticised by Liverpool's Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram, who called the appointment a "deeply insensitive choice". "The paper Dinsmore once led printed falsehoods that caused unimaginable pain. That shouldn't be brushed off as a footnote in his CV - it should be a red line," the former Labour MP said on X. Liverpool MPs Ian Byrne, Paula Barker, and Kim Johnson have also written to the prime minister to express concerns. They said that a key requirement of Hillsborough Law, which Sir Keir has promised to put on the statute books in full, is to ensure that senior government officials and civil servants would be legally compelled to tell the truth following a tragedy at the hands of the state. Their letter said: "What sort of message do you believe your appointment of Dinsmore into a senior Government role sends to Hillsborough families and survivors, who have lived through so much pain and suffering at the hands of the publication he has previously edited?". Mr Dinsmore's appointment was first reported by The Telegraph, which described the role as a new position created after the prime minister voiced concerns about government communications late last year. The appointment has not been officially confirmed.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Who is David Dinsmore? The former Sun editor given top comms job by Starmer
Sir Keir Starmer has appointed a former editor of The Sun newspaper to a senior communications role in Number 10, bringing him into the centre of government. David Dinsmore was editor of the tabloid newspaper between 2013 and 2015. He will now act as a senior civil servant responsible for overseeing and improving government communications. Whitehall sources indicate Mr Dinsmore's role, permanent secretary for communications, had been newly-created by the prime minister. He was personally selected by Sir Keir after the PM was impressed with his understanding of modern media challenges, The Telegraph reports. Mr Dinsmore began his career in journalism at the Scottish Sun in 1990, and rose to become its editor in 2006. He edited The Sun between 2013 and 2015, after which he was promoted to chief operating officer of News UK. The journalist was again promoted in 2022 to News UK's Executive Vice President, whilst retaining the COO role. He has earned plaudits for his media career, ranking 27th in the 2014 Media Guardian 100 and 67th in GQ magazine's 2015 'Most Connected Men in Britain' list. While parts of The Sun online went behind a paywall during Mr Dinsmore's tenure, he is credited with growing the paper's online subscriber base from an initial 117,000 to almost double, at 225,000. But the appointment is likely to prove controversial among some Labour MPs, especially representing from Liverpool, where there remains a concerted boycott of The Sun over its reporting of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster. Campaigners have also pointed to several controversies which took place during Mr Dinsmore's time at the tabloid newspaper. In 2016, the former Sun editor was convicted of breaching the Sexual Offences Act after the tabloid printed a photo of a teenage victim of a sexual offence in 2013, which did not conceal the victim's identity, and which happened during his tenure. The teenager was victim of footballer Adam Johnson, a former England player who was found guilty of sexual activity with the 15-year-old girl in 2016. Judge Howard Riddle said he was 'satisfied' Mr Dinsmore did not realise he was committing an offence. He was ordered to pay £1,300 costs and £1,000 in compensation to the victim. Shortly before Mr Dinsmore left the editor post, The Sun dropped its page 3 featuring topless models following prolonged outcry from campaigners. However, he was branded 'sexist of the year' in 2014 by campaign group End Violence Against Women, after initially resisting the move. In 2013, Mr Dinsmore said in an interview it was a 'good way of selling newspapers.' The former newspaper editor was also criticised for platforming Katie Hopkins during his tenure, during which time she held a weekly column promoting her as 'Britain's most controversial columnist.' Both Ms Hopkins and Mr Dinsmore were reported to the Metropolitan Police in 2015 for incitement to racial hatred over a column that appeared in The Sun. The piece saw Ms Hopkins describe asylum seekers looking to reach Britain as 'cockroaches' and suggested the government deploy 'gunships' to stop them landing on shore. Filing his report, barrister Peter Herbert, chair of the Society of Black Lawyers, said the column contained 'some of the most offensive, xenophobic and racist comments I have read in a British newspaper for some years.' While Ms Hopkins was questioned over the comments by police, the Met confirmed neither she nor Mr Dinsmore would be charged. Mr Dinsmore's appointment to Sir Keir's top team has been strongly criticised by campaign group Hacked Off, established in 2011 in response to the News of the World phone-hacking scandal. Launching a petition against his appoint, the group said accused Mr Dinsmore of overseeing 'endless and false denials that The Sun was involved in the phone hacking scandal; eventually exposed in January 2025, when The Sun was forced to apologise.' 'Appointing a former Sun editor to a publicly funded role is an insult to the taxpayer, and in particular to all those who were affected by the Hillsborough disaster and were smeared with despicable and false attacks by The Sun newspaper,' it adds.
The Guardian
14 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Hillsborough bereaved urge Starmer not to appoint ex-Sun editor to senior role
Some Hillsborough survivors and families of those killed in the disaster have urged Keir Starmer to reconsider appointing a former Sun editor to one of the government's most senior communications jobs. David Dinsmore, who edited the tabloid from 2013 to 2015 and has since become chief operating officer of its parent company, News UK, is due to become permanent secretary for communications. The role was created after the prime minister voiced concerns about the government's communications last year. The Guardian understands senior Labour figures also have concerns over the appointment, which has yet to be confirmed by the government. In a letter to Starmer, Hillsborough families – and others affected by 'scandal and state-endorsed abuse' – claim Dinsmore is 'manifestly unsuitable for public appointment' because of his long association with the Sun, citing its coverage of the disaster, for which the paper has since apologised. 'After the Hillsborough disaster, in the midst of unimaginable suffering among the bereaved and the survivors, the Sun newspaper published vicious lies about the conduct of fans. Graphic and false allegations cast the deceased and those who survived as barbaric, feckless and inhumane,' the letter states. The signatories warn that the Sun 'has not changed', saying it has opted against independent regulation and 'has continued to demonise ordinary people and marginalised communities'. 'For these reasons, we are deeply concerned by the proposed appointment of David Dinsmore to the role of permanent secretary for communications,' the letter states. Charlotte Hennessy, who lost her father, Jimmy Hennessy, at Hillsborough when she was six years old, said: 'Dinsmore suggested the only mistake the Sun made regarding Hillsborough was the headline. Not the lies, not the smears. 'If Keir Starmer really wants to deliver change he needs to get on with delivering the Hillsborough law he promised and backtrack on appointing someone so unsuitable for public office.' The letter also highlights that Dinsmore was convicted of breaching the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act after the tabloid printed a pixelated photograph of the victim of the disgraced footballer Adam Johnson. The judge in the case was satisfied Dinsmore did not know he was committing an offence and ordered that he pay £1,300 costs and offer to pay £1,000 in compensation to the girl for any distress caused. The letter states: 'As a senior executive of News UK, [Dinsmore] has been involved in the company's false denials of the Sun's commissioning of illegal activity throughout the 2000s.' The title has now admitted that 'incidents of unlawful activities' were carried out by private investigators working for it between 1996 and 2011. Steve Rotheram, the Labour mayor of the Liverpool city region, also raised concern about the appointment this week. 'For many people in our city, particularly those who fought for justice for the Hillsborough families, this appointment will be seen as a deeply insensitive choice, given the hurt caused to our communities unjustly targeted by that 'newspaper', Rupert Murdoch and his acolytes,' he wrote. 'I fully support the government's ambition to rebuild trust in politics. But appointments like this could risk undermining that effort. Trust can't be restored by drawing from the same networks that helped erode it.' Dinsmore started his career in journalism as a reporter for the Scottish Sun in 1990, becoming the title's editor in 2006. He has held a number of senior roles at the Sun including managing editor and helped to oversee the launch of its Sunday edition. A Cabinet Office spokesperson said no appointment had yet been made, so they would not comment on Dinsmore. News UK did not wish to comment.
The National
a day ago
- Politics
- The National
Labour MPs fume as Keir Starmer appoints former Sun editor to top job
Liverpool MPs Ian Byrne, Paula Barker and Kim Johnson have penned a joint letter to the Prime Minister calling on him to cancel the award of a top Government communications post to David Dinsmore. He was editor of The Scottish Sun for four years from 2006 before moving to London and working as editor of The Sun from 2013 to 2015. Dinsmore comes into the Government from a role as chief operating officer of News UK, the British arm of the Murdoch publishing empire. The Sun is deeply unpopular in Liverpool for slandering people from the city who lost their lives in the Hillsborough disaster in 1989 and the paper is referred to throughout the letter as The S*n. Under Dinsmore's watch, The Sun took a photograph of the 15-year-old victim of a paedophile from her Facebook page and published it after pixelating her face. He was fined for a breach of the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act after a judge ruled that it remained identifiable to people who were familiar with her social media profile. In 2014, he was named 'sexist of the year' by the End Violence Against Women group which campaigned against The Sun's infamous Page Three. He was mockingly praised for his 'valiant persistence in peddling pornography under the guise of 'news''. These concerns were raised by the three Labour MPs who also told Starmer that his appointment would upset their constituents due to the Hillsborough connection. The letter raised 'grave concerns' about Dinsmore's appointment 'at the same time promising Hillsborough families and survivors that the Hillsborough Law will be introduced'. READ MORE: Donald Trump responds to John Swinney's indyref2 plan It added: 'One of the key asks of the Hillsborough Law we are campaigning for is to ensure that senior Government officials and civil servants would be legally compelled to tell the truth at inquests or inquiries following a tragedy at the hands of the state. 'Prime Minister, what sort of message do you believe your appointment of Dinsmore into a senior Government role sends to Hillsborough families and survivors, who have lived through so much pain and suffering at the hands of the publication he has previously edited?' (Image: Francesco Guidicini/The Sunday Times) The letter also noted that The Sun has faced repeated accusations of 'disinformation, Islamophobia, misogyny and more'. Dinsmore's new role will be permanent secretary for communications, a new position created to improve the Government's messaging to the public. It is a civil service rather than political role. News UK and the UK Government were approached for comment.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Yahoo
Man arrested after hours-long search in Poulsbo, WA charged with murder
The Brief Laird Dinsmore, 35, is charged with first-degree murder and assault for allegedly killing James Foster in Poulsbo, WA. Dinsmore reportedly confessed to shooting Foster and firing at SWAT officers during his arrest. The motive remains unknown, but Dinsmore allegedly stole items from the property where Foster was working. POULSBO, Wash. - Kitsap County prosecutors have charged a man who was arrested after an hours-long search with first-degree premeditated murder and first-degree assault. Laird Dinsmore, 35, is accused of killing 50-year-old James Foster outside a home on Big Valley Road Northeast in Poulsbo on June 4. James' brother has started a GoFundMe to ask for help, writing, "Hello family, friends, and community. I am Aaron Foster, the brother of James Wayne Foster whose life was needlessly taken from him in a horrific crime in Poulsbo, Washington last week. Our family is asking for help raising the funds for a proper burial. We thank you with grateful hearts in advance for donations and prayers. He will be put to rest at Fraola Cemetery in Port Orchard, Washington." The backstory According to court documents, Dinsmore confessed to murdering Foster with a rifle and to shooting towards SWAT team members when they were trying to arrest him in Snider Park on Wedneday. No motive was given in the court documents, but detectives say Dinsmore is believed to have stolen items including a rifle from the home where Foster was staying on the property, and working as a caretaker while it was being renovated. Detectives say a surveillance camera shows Dinsmore walking up with a rifle and firing twice at Foster, who was bent over working on an electric wheelchair, then jogging towards him and firing again. He then walked toward a motorhome, checked the rear window, walked back and allegedly shot Foster's lifeless body one more time. He then walked down the road and accessed Foster's truck. Foster's body wasn't discovered until June 7. Dinsmore was arrested on June 12. The Source Information in this story came from the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office and court documents from the Kitsap County Superior Court. Seattle traffic to be impacted from upcoming protests Authorities shift tactics in search for WA triple murder suspect Travis Decker Manhunt for Travis Decker moves to WA's Kittitas County Anti-Trump 'NO KINGS' protests planned for Seattle this weekend Seattle police disperse 'ICE OUT' protesters after fire breaks out downtown Everything you need to know about Seattle Pride Parade 2025 Things to do for Father's Day in Seattle To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter. Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.
