George Pascoe-Watson
{{Short description|British journalist and PR consultant}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{BLP sources|date=May 2009}}{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix =
| name = George Pascoe-Watson
| honorific_suffix =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1966|8|21|df=y}}
| birth_place = Edinburgh, Scotland
| nationality = British
| education = George Heriot's School
Royal High School, Edinburgh
| alma_mater = Napier College
| occupation = Entrepreneur
C-suite adviser
Communication consultant
Former journalist
| spouse = {{marriage|Natalie Kirby|2011}}
}}
George Pascoe-Watson (born 21 August 1966) is a British journalist and public relations consultant. He was formerly the political editor of The Sun newspaper, succeeding Trevor Kavanagh in January 2006.
He left The Sun in 2009 to pursue a career in consultancy, spending 14 years working for the Portland Communications agency founded by Tony Blair's former advisor Tim Allan in 2001.{{cite news|last=Tryhorn|first=Chris|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/oct/15/sun-george-pascoe-watson|title=Sun political editor George Pascoe-Watson to join Tim Allan's PR agency|work=The Guardian|date=15 October 2009|accessdate=3 October 2015}} He is currently a founding partner at Schillings Communications.{{Cite web |date=20 March 2024 |title=George Pascoe-Watson – Schillings |url=https://www.schillingspartners.com/team-member/george-pascoe-watson/ |access-date=20 March 2024 |website=Schillings}}
Early life
Pascoe-Watson was born in Edinburgh in 1966 to an RAF pilot and a nursing sister.
He was educated at George Heriot's School and the Royal High School. He completed a two-year journalism diploma at Napier College in Edinburgh.
Career
Pascoe-Watson started his career working for local newspapers. Between 1986 and 1987, he was a reporter for the Warminster Journal in Wiltshire, and then for the free-sheet the Bristol Journal, before moving to news agency Bristol Press and Pictures.
When the news agency went bankrupt, he moved to London and joined The Sun as a junior reporter in 1988, at the age of 21. He was transferred off The Sun for a spell after he exposed a continued lack of security at Heathrow Airport shortly after the Lockerbie bombing.{{Cite web |date=10 April 1989 |title=Government demands Pan Am explain reported security lapse – United Press International |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1989/04/10/Government-demands-Pan-Am-explain-reported-security-lapse/5346608184000/ |access-date=20 March 2024 |website=United Press International}}{{Cite web |date=11 April 1989 |title=The World - News from April 11, 1989 - Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-04-11-mn-1629-story.html |access-date=20 March 2024 |website=Los Angeles Times}}
In his early days at the paper, he was bylined 'Pascoe Watson' as his superiors thought the forename George and his double-barrelled surname to be too effete for the red-top's primarily working-class readership. However, they relented after he went into the Lobby.[http://politics.guardian.co.uk/media/story/0,12123,1676332,00.html George Pascoe-Watson: I was groomed by Trevor Kavanagh | Media | The Guardian]
Pascoe-Watson joined The Sun
In 2009, Pascoe-Watson joined Portland Communications, the public affairs consultancy founded by Tony Blair's former advisor Tim Allan. He spent 14 years at Portland, and was chair of the firm by the time he left in 2023.{{Cite web |date=6 September 2023 |title=British Libel Law Firm Schillings Sets Up PR Agency |url=https://www.provokemedia.com/latest/article/british-libel-law-firm-schillings-sets-up-pr-agency |access-date=20 March 2024 |website=PRovoke Media}}
In 2020, during the COVID pandemic Pascoe-Watson was appointed to an unpaid advisory role by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC); he participated in daily strategic discussions chaired by Lord Bethell.{{cite news |last1=Pogrund |first1=Gabriel |title=George Pascoe-Watson among lobbyists given secret access to Covid meetings |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/george-pascoe-watson-among-lobbyists-given-secret-access-to-covid-meetings-tzxkc0jkp |access-date=15 November 2020 |work=The Sunday Times |date=15 November 2020 |language=en}} He also sent information about government policy to his paying clients before this was made public.{{cite news |last1=Stone |first1=Jon |title=Government gave lobbyists access to confidential coronavirus briefings |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/government-lobbyists-coronavirus-george-pascoe-watson-b1723246.html |accessdate=15 November 2020 |work=The Independent |date=15 November 2020 |language=en}}{{cite news |last1=Diver |first1=Tony |title=National lockdown was revealed by lobbyists before press leaks |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2020/11/15/national-lockdown-revealed-lobbyists-press-leaks/ |accessdate=15 November 2020 |work=The Sunday Telegraph |date=15 November 2020}}
Pascoe-Watson co-founded Schillings Communications in January 2024, with Victoria O'Byrne.{{Cite web |date=6 September 2023 |title=Portland chair to lead law firm Schillings' PR agency {{!}} PR Week |url=https://www.prweek.com/article/1836286/portland-chair-lead-law-firm-schillings-pr-agency |access-date=20 March 2024 |website=PR Week}} The firm is a reputation management agency affiliated with Schillings, the British libel law firm. O’Byrne was previously responsible for communications for the Prince and Princess of Wales, Richard Branson at Virgin Group, and the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and started her career as a communications advisor for the Labour Party. Pascoe-Watson and O'Byrne are both equity partners in the venture.
Pascoe-Watson has been a regular panellist on multiple broadcast shows in the UK, including BBC Question Time, Sky News, BBC News, The Week in Westminster and BBC Radio 5 Live, among others.{{Cite web |date=20 March 2024 |title=George Pascoe-Watson – Mace Magazine |url=https://macemagazine.com/politicalconsultants/george-pascoe-watson/ |access-date=20 March 2024 |website=Mace Magazine}}
Personal life
Pascoe-Watson married Natalie Kirby in January 2011.{{Cite web |url=http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/markets/article-23911031-whats-in-a-name-for-tweet-jemima-goldsmith.do |title=What's in a name for tweet Jemima Goldsmith? | Markets & Analysis |access-date=2 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110204000009/http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/markets/article-23911031-whats-in-a-name-for-tweet-jemima-goldsmith.do |archive-date=4 February 2011 |url-status=dead }} The two met in the Lobby, when he was political editor at The Sun and she was working for William Hague.
References
{{reflist}}
{{S-start}}
{{S-media}}
{{S-bef
| before = Trevor Kavanagh
}}
{{S-ttl
| title = Political Editor of The Sun
| years = 2006–2009
}}
{{S-aft
| after = Tom Newton Dunn
}}
{{S-end}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pascoe-Watson, George}}
Category:British male journalists
Category:People educated at George Heriot's School
Category:People educated at the Royal High School, Edinburgh