Fraser Nelson
{{Short description|British political journalist (born 1973)}}{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Fraser Nelson
| image = Spectator Editor Fraser Nelson at 'Towards a Better Child Poverty Target' (cropped).jpg
| caption = Nelson in 2012
| birth_name = Fraser Andrew Nelson
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1973|05|14|df=y}}
| birth_place = Truro, Cornwall, England
| education =Nairn Academy, Dollar Academy
| alma_mater = University of Glasgow
City University
| spouse = {{marriage|Linda Nelson|2006}}
| children = 3
| occupation = Journalist
Editor of The Spectator
}}
Fraser Andrew Nelson (born 14 May 1973){{cite journal |doi=10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.253929|title=Nelson, Fraser Andrew, (born 14 May 1973), Editor, The Spectator, since 2009|journal=Who's Who|year=2011}}{{cite news |url=http://www.themediabriefing.com/people/fraser-nelson |title=Fraser Nelson |newspaper=The Media Briefing |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514074236/http://www.themediabriefing.com/people/fraser-nelson |archive-date=14 May 2013 }} is a British political journalist who was editor of The Spectator magazine from 2009 to 2024.
Early life
Nelson was born in Truro, Cornwall, England and raised in Nairn, Highland, Scotland. He attended Nairn Academy before boarding at Dollar Academy while his father, who was in the Royal Air Force, was posted to Cyprus.{{cite news |url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/purge-of-the-posh |title=Purge of the posh |first=Fraser |last=Nelson |work=The Spectator |date=4 June 2016}} He described himself as "one of a handful of Catholics at a Protestant school."{{cite news |last=Nelson |first=Fraser |date=9 January 2015 |title=British Muslims deserve better leaders – and they'll need them |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/11333721/British-Muslims-deserve-better-leaders-and-theyll-need-them.html |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |access-date=1 May 2018}} He went on to study History and Politics at the University of Glasgow where he was editor of the university's student newspaper Glasgow University Guardian.{{cite news |url=https://glasgowguardian.co.uk/2022/10/14/in-conversation-with-fraser-nelson/ |title=
In conversation with Fraser Nelson |work=The Glasgow Guardian |date=14 October 2022 |first=Lucy |last=Dunn |access-date=7 September 2024}} He went on to gain a diploma in Journalism at City, University of London.{{cite news |last=Sabbagh |first=Dan |author-link=Dan Sabbagh |date=17 February 2013 |title=Fraser Nelson: The Spectator is more cocktail party than political party |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/feb/17/fraser-nelson-spectator-rod-liddle |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=1 May 2018}}
Career
=Journalism=
Nelson began his journalistic career as a business reporter with The Times in 1997, followed by a short spell as Scottish political correspondent. At a party he met Andrew Neil, then editor of The Scotsman who recruited him as its political editor in 2001. In 2003 he moved to The Business, a sister title of The Scotsman in the Barclay brothers' Press Holdings group.
In July 2004 the brothers bought the Telegraph Group, which included The Spectator and in December 2005 they sold The Scotsman Publications Ltd. Neil had been appointed Chief Executive of The Spectator after the Barclays bought it, and in 2006 he brought in Nelson as associate editor and then political editor of the magazine. He replaced Matthew d'Ancona as editor of The Spectator when the latter left in August 2009.{{cite news |last=Brook |first=Stephen |date=28 August 2009 |title=Fraser Nelson to replace Matthew d'Ancona as Spectator editor |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/aug/28/spectator-matthew-dancona-fraser-nelson |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=1 May 2018}} Under his editorship, the magazine reached a record high in print circulation.{{cite news |last=Nelson |first=Nelson |date=15 February 2018 |title=The Spectator's print sales hit a 190-year high – thanks to digital |url=https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2018/02/the-spectators-print-sales-hit-a-190-year-high-thanks-to-digital/ |newspaper=The Spectator |access-date=22 March 2018}}
He was succeeded as editor of The Spectator by Michael Gove in September 2024.{{cite news |last=Gove |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Gove |date=12 October 2024 |title=Michael Gove: My plans for The Spectator |url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/my-plans-for-the-spectator/|newspaper=The Spectator |access-date=17 October 2024}}
=Awards and lists=
Nelson was named Political Columnist of the Year in the 2009 Comment Awards.{{cite web | url=http://www.commentawards.com/winners2009.htm | title=Comment Awards – Previous Winners 2009 | publisher=Editorial Intelligence | date=2012 | access-date=18 February 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402142637/http://www.commentawards.com/winners2009.htm | archive-date=2 April 2015 | url-status=dead | df=dmy-all }} In 2013, the Evening Standard named Nelson as one of the most influential journalists working in London.{{cite news |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/the-power-1000-londons-most-influential-people-2013-thinkfluentials-news-junkies-8826344.html |newspaper=Evening Standard |title=The Power 1000 – London's most influential people 2013: Thinkfluentials, News junkies |date=20 September 2013 |access-date=1 May 2018}} The British Society of Magazine Editors named Nelson the 2013 Editors' Editor of the Year.{{cite press release |title=BSME Awards 2013 Winners |publisher=British Society of Magazine Editors |date=11 November 2013 |url=http://www.bsme.com/bsme-awards-2013-winners/ |access-date=12 November 2013}} In the same year he won the British Press Award as Political Journalist of the Year.{{cite web |url=http://www.pressawards.org.uk/page-view.php?pagename=winners-2013 |title=Winners for 2013 |publisher=The Press Awards |access-date=15 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150606155205/http://www.pressawards.org.uk/page-view.php?pagename=winners-2013 |archive-date=6 June 2015 |url-status=dead }}
In 2023, the New Statesman named Nelson the 27th most powerful person in right-wing British politics.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=27 September 2023 |title=The New Statesman's right power list |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-politics/2023/09/the-new-statesmans-right-power-list |access-date=14 December 2023 |website=New Statesman |language=en-US}}
=Other=
Nelson is a board director of the Centre for Policy Studies think tank.{{cite web |url=https://cps.org.uk/our-board/fraser-nelson/ |title=Our Board |publisher=Centre for Policy Studies |access-date=6 September 2024}}
Views
Nelson is a supporter of the Conservative Party. In 2013, he said The Spectator magazine under his editorship was "right of centre, but not strongly right of centre". During the 2010–2015 coalition government, he was generally supportive of David Cameron's leadership and praised Cameron's Liberal Democrat coalition partner from 2010 to 2015, Nick Clegg.{{cite news |last=Nelson |first=Fraser |date=19 September 2010 |title=How I learned to stop worrying and rate Nick Clegg |newspaper=The Spectator |url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-rate-nick-clegg/ |access-date=1 May 2018}} Since 2015, he has since been described as including more strongly right wing pundits in The Spectator{{'}}s line up,{{Cite web |last=Jacobson |first=Gavin |date=6 November 2019 |title=Why the Spectator tolerates the intolerable |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/media/2019/11/why-spectator-tolerates-intolerable |access-date=25 May 2023 |website=New Statesman |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=OPINION: Far-right ideology is now mainstream in the UK |url=https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/far-right-mainstream-conspiracy-theory-uk/ |access-date=25 May 2023 |website=openDemocracy |language=en}} and described the magazine's political stance as "centre right" in 2023.{{Cite web |date=27 January 2023 |title='Scottish genius created most of the modern world.' Kevin McKenna meets Fraser Nelson |url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/viewpoint/23278591.fraser-nelson-scottish-genius-created-modern-world/ |access-date=25 May 2023 |website=HeraldScotland |language=en}}
In May 2018 he was heavily criticised for publishing a defence of German troops by Taki Theodoracopulos titled "In praise of the Wehrmacht" which said readers should feel sorry for Wehrmacht soldiers at Normandy.{{Cite web|url=https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/spectator-editor-fraser-nelson-claims-power-of-editors-comically-overstated-in-500th-issue-under-his-editorship/|title = Spectator editor Fraser Nelson claims power of editors 'comically overstated' in 500th issue under his editorship|date = 5 April 2019}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/respected-british-magazine-publishes-defense-of-nazi-german-troops/|title = Respected British magazine publishes defense of Nazi German troops|website = The Times of Israel}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/media/2019/11/rod-liddles-latest-column-shows-just-how-low-spectator-will-go-attention|title = Rod Liddle's latest column shows just how low the Spectator will go for attention}}
In several articles in the mid 2010s, Nelson outlined his view of the relative success of immigration to the UK due to the country's liberalism.{{cite news |last=Nelson |first=Fraser |date=27 March 2014 |title=Only one person is laughing at the Farage-Clegg EU pantomime |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/nick-clegg/10727368/Only-one-person-is-laughing-at-the-Farage-Clegg-EU-pantomime.html |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |access-date=1 May 2018}}{{Cite web |last=Fraser_Nelson |date=3 March 2023 |title=Jon Cruddas, a Labou… |url=http://www.reddit.com/r/ukpolitics/comments/11gxzrs/im_fraser_nelson_editor_of_the_spectator_ama/jarqila/ |access-date=25 May 2023 |website=r/ukpolitics}}{{cite news |last=Nelson |first=Fraser |date=5 April 2014 |title=The British Muslim is truly one among us – and proud to be so |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/10742683/The-British-Muslim-is-truly-one-among-us-and-proud-to-be-so.html |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |access-date=1 May 2018}}{{cite news |last=Nelson |first=Fraser |date=21 May 2015 |title=The unsayable truth about immigration: it's been a stunning success for Britain |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/immigration/11622192/The-unsayable-truth-about-immigration-its-been-a-stunning-success-for-Britain.html |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |access-date=1 May 2018}} By 2023, however, Nelson was a critic of mass migration describing migration placing pressure on housing, services, and wages.{{Cite web |last=Nelson |first=Fraser |date=17 May 2023 |title=Migration nation: Brexit has meant more immigration than ever |url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/migration-nation-brexit-has-meant-more-immigration-than-ever/ |access-date=25 May 2023 |website=The Spectator |language=en-US}}
Nelson's other views have included supporting religious freedom in relation to gay marriage{{cite news |last=Nelson |first=Fraser |date=13 December 2012 |title=Britain is getting a glimpse of the crazy world of culture wars |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9743058/Gay-marriage-Britain-is-getting-a-glimpse-of-the-crazy-world-of-culture-wars.html |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |access-date=1 May 2018}}{{Cite news |last=Nelson |first=Fraser |date=23 February 2023 |title=Protestants are now hounded out of politics, as Kate Forbes has shown |language=en-GB |work=The Daily Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/02/23/protestants-now-hounded-politics-kate-forbes-has-shown/ |access-date=25 May 2023 |issn=0307-1235}} and concern over the impact on children of rising rates of divorce and illegitimacy.
Personal life
Married with two sons and a daughter, Nelson and his family live in southwest London.{{cite web |title=Fraser Nelson |url=http://www.davidhigham.co.uk/authors-dh/fraser-nelson/ |publisher=David Higham Associates |access-date=1 May 2018}} He is married to Linda, a Swede, and said in 2014, "I am a soppy Europhile who speaks a second language at home. The idea of a united Europe was one that really excited me when I was younger, and which I love now."{{cite news |last=Aitkenhead |first=Decca |author-link=Decca Aitkenhead |date=18 April 2014 |title=Fraser Nelson, Spectator editor: 'I'd put £1,000 on Ed Miliband to win the election' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/apr/18/fraser-nelson-spectator-editor-put-money-on-ed-miliband |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=1 May 2018}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.spectator.co.uk/writer/fraser-nelson Articles] at The Spectator
{{s-start}}
{{s-media}}
{{s-bef|before=Matthew d'Ancona}}
{{s-ttl|title=Editor of The Spectator|years=2009–2024}}
{{s-after|after=Michael Gove}}
{{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Fraser}}
Category:People educated at Nairn Academy
Category:People educated at Dollar Academy
Category:Alumni of the University of Glasgow
Category:Alumni of City, University of London