Stephen Bush

{{Infobox person

| name = Stephen Bush

| image = File:Stephen Bush at the British Kebab Awards 2019 2 (cropped).jpg

| alt =

| caption = Bush at the British Kebab Awards 2019

| birth_name = Stephen Kupakwesu Bush

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1990|3|21|df=yes}}

| birth_place = London, England, UK

| nationality = British

| other_names =

| education = Morpeth School

| alma_mater = University of Oxford (BA)

| occupation = Journalist

| employer = {{Plainlist|

| awards =

| website = {{Official URL}}

| years_active =

| known_for =

| notable_works =

}}

Stephen Kupakwesu Bush is a British journalist. {{as of|April 2025}} he is a columnist and associate editor at the Financial Times. He has also written for The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, The i Paper and New Statesman.

Early life and education

Bush is mixed race with Jewish heritage.{{Cite news |last=Bush |first=Stephen |date=5 April 2018 |title=This Passover has presented an uneasy dilemma for Britain's left-wing Jews |work=New Statesman |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/religion/2018/04/passover-has-presented-uneasy-dilemma-britain-s-left-wing-jews |access-date=11 June 2020 |archive-date=17 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200617005201/https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/religion/2018/04/passover-has-presented-uneasy-dilemma-britain-s-left-wing-jews |url-status=live }} He was educated at Morpeth School, a state comprehensive school in Bethnal Green in East End of London, followed by the University of Oxford where he was an undergraduate student at Balliol College, Oxford,{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2011/apr/12/oxford-university-diversity-row-students|title=Oxford University diversity row: 'Grades aren't enough'|author1=Davis, Rowenna|author2=Vasagar, Jeevan|date=12 April 2011|publisher=The Guardian|access-date=20 April 2017|author3=Meltzer, Tom|archive-date=21 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170421095809/https://www.theguardian.com/education/2011/apr/12/oxford-university-diversity-row-students|url-status=live|website=theguardian.com}} and studied history.

At university, he was a member of the Oxford University Labour Club and volunteered for Andy Burnham's unsuccessful campaign to become Labour Party leader in 2010.{{LinkedIn URL}}{{Cite web |last=Bush |first=Stephen |date=30 June 2021 |title=Andy Burnham: "I'm prepared to go back but as something different" |publisher=New Statesman |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2021/06/andy-burnham-im-prepared-to-go-back-but-as-something-different |access-date= 25 November 2021|website=newstatesman.com}} Bush matriculated in 2008 and graduated in 2011.{{cite web|url=https://www.balliol.ox.ac.uk/news/2016/march/young-journalist-of-the-year|title=Young Journalist of the Year|publisher=Balliol College, Oxford|website=balliol.ox.ac.uk|date=23 March 2016|access-date=20 April 2017|archive-date=21 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170421095613/https://www.balliol.ox.ac.uk/news/2016/march/young-journalist-of-the-year|url-status=live}}

Career

Bush worked for the magazine Progress (linked to the organisation of the same name) before writing for The Daily Telegraph, including working on the Morning Briefing email as editorial assistant to Benedict Brogan. He joined the New Statesman from the Telegraph in February 2015.{{cite web|url=http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/media/2016/04/stephen-bush-appointed-new-statesman-special-correspondent|title=Stephen Bush appointed New Statesman special correspondent|date=4 April 2016|work=New Statesman|access-date=5 January 2019|archive-date=6 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190106153323/https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/media/2016/04/stephen-bush-appointed-new-statesman-special-correspondent|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2014/12/new-statesman-appoints-stephen-bush-staggers-editor|title=New Statesman appoints Stephen Bush as Staggers editor|date=4 December 2014|access-date=11 June 2020|work=New Statesman|archive-date=13 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190413092047/https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2014/12/new-statesman-appoints-stephen-bush-staggers-editor|url-status=live}} Later that year, he was the first political commentator to predict Jeremy Corbyn's election as Labour leader after obtaining leaked internal poll data.{{Cite web |last=Bush |first=Stephen |date=2015-07-15 |title=Jeremy Corbyn 'on course to come top' in the Labour leadership election |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2015/07/jeremy-corbyn-course-come-top-labour-leadership-election |access-date=2022-11-22 |website=New Statesman |language=en-US}}

Bush has appeared on the BBC's current affairs programme Newsnight, commenting on UK politics,{{cite web|date=25 February 2017|first=Stephen|last= Bush|title= The by-elections aren't the end of Corbyn|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-39089004|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170305081320/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-39089004|archive-date=5 March 2017|access-date=16 April 2017|publisher=BBC News|website=bbc.co.uk}} and was tipped as an outsider to succeed Nick Robinson as the BBC's political editor in 2015, a position that eventually went to Laura Kuenssberg.{{cite web|author=Steerpike|date=10 July 2015|title=Place your bets! Bookies reveal favourites to be next BBC political editor|url=https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2015/07/place-your-bets-bookies-reveal-favourites-to-be-next-bbc-political-editor/#|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170417065927/https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2015/07/place-your-bets-bookies-reveal-favourites-to-be-next-bbc-political-editor/|archive-date=17 April 2017|access-date=16 April 2017|work=The Spectator}}

Bush has written for The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, The i Paper and New Statesman.{{Cite web|url=https://thebailliegiffordprize.co.uk/people/stephen-bush|first=Stephen|last= Bush|year=2019|title= The Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction|website=thebailliegiffordprize.co.uk|access-date=5 January 2019|archive-date=11 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190111175703/https://thebailliegiffordprize.co.uk/people/stephen-bush|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|title=Stephen Bush|url=https://www.newstatesman.com/author/stephen-bush|access-date=20 February 2022|work=New Statesman}}

From 2016 to 2017, he contributed a weekly column to The Guardian{{'}}s Lifestyle pages on cooking, called "The Delia Project", where he recounted his efforts to relearn cookery skills using only Delia Smith's Delia's Complete How to Cook.{{cite web|last=Bush|first= Stephen|url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/series/the-delia-project|title=The Delia Project|publisher=The Guardian|website=theguardian.com|access-date=3 February 2022}}

In December 2018 he was appointed political editor of the New Statesman, while also writing a fortnightly column for the i newspaper.{{cite news|url=https://pressgazette.co.uk/new-statesman-reshuffle-sees-stephen-bush-appointed-political-editor/|title=New Statesman reshuffle sees Stephen Bush appointed political editor|first=James|last=Walker|date=10 December 2018|work=Press Gazette|access-date=5 January 2019|archive-date=11 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190111175614/https://pressgazette.co.uk/new-statesman-reshuffle-sees-stephen-bush-appointed-political-editor/|url-status=live}}{{cite web |title=Stephen Bush |url=https://inews.co.uk/author/stephen-bush |website=inews.co.uk |access-date=15 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230602095736/https://inews.co.uk/author/stephen-bush |archive-date=Jun 2, 2023 |language=en |url-status=live}} He eventually left the publication in February 2022 to become a columnist and associate editor at the Financial Times, where {{as of|February 2022|lc=yes }} he continues to write a morning political briefing email.{{Cite news|last=Bush|first=Stephen|date=16 February 2022|title=Diary: My time as the New Statesman's political editor is over, and I'm shaking up a seven-year routine|url=https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-politics/2022/02/stephen-bushs-diary-my-time-as-the-new-statesmans-political-editor-is-over-and-im-shaking-up-a-seven-year-routine|access-date=20 February 2022|work=New Statesman}}{{Cite press release |title=Financial Times appoints Stephen Bush as columnist and associate editor |date=2 December 2021 |website=Financial Times |url=https://aboutus.ft.com/press_release/stephen-bush |access-date=3 February 2022}}

On 8 June 2020 he was appointed to chair the Board of Deputies of British Jews' Commission on Racial Inclusivity in the Jewish Community.{{Cite web |date=8 June 2020 |title=Board of Deputies to launch 'Commission on Racial Inclusivity in the Jewish Community' |url=https://bod.org.uk/bod-news/board-of-deputies-to-launch-commission-on-racial-inclusivity-in-the-jewish-community/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210517125832/https://bod.org.uk/bod-news/board-of-deputies-to-launch-commission-on-racial-inclusivity-in-the-jewish-community/ |archive-date=17 May 2021 |access-date=14 August 2023 |website=bod.org.uk |publisher=Board of Deputies of British Jews |language=}}{{Cite news |last=Bush |first=Stephen |date=10 June 2020 |title=The racism I know is when an antisemite sees my skin and thinks I share their repellent views |work=The Jewish Chronicle |url=https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/racism-i-know-is-when-an-antisemite-sees-my-skin-and-thinks-i-share-their-repellent-views-1.500519 |url-status=live |access-date=11 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200611070655/https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/racism-i-know-is-when-an-antisemite-sees-my-skin-and-thinks-i-share-their-repellent-views-1.500519 |archive-date=11 June 2020}}{{Cite news |last=Mendel |first=Jack |date=10 June 2020 |title='Am I black enough to do this? Am I Jewish enough to do this?' |work=Jewish News |url=https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/am-i-black-enough-to-do-this-am-i-jewish-enough-to-do-this/ |url-status=live |access-date=11 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200611072719/https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/am-i-black-enough-to-do-this-am-i-jewish-enough-to-do-this/ |archive-date=11 June 2020}}{{Cite news |last=Mendel |first=Jack |date=10 June 2020 |title=Commission launched to take evidence of racism experienced by black British Jews |work=Jewish News |url=https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/commission-launched-to-take-evidence-of-racism-experienced-by-black-british-jews/ |url-status=live |access-date=11 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200611190421/https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/commission-launched-to-take-evidence-of-racism-experienced-by-black-british-jews/ |archive-date=11 June 2020}} He recommended that the Jewish community adopt a "proactive attitude to inclusion" to draw in "people of all backgrounds who have felt marginalised, left out or turned off from Jewish life".{{Cite web |last=Commission on Racial Inclusivity in the Jewish Community |date=22 April 2021 |title=Report |url=https://bod.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Commission-on-Racial-Inclusivity-in-the-Jewish-Community.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422070230/https://bod.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Commission-on-Racial-Inclusivity-in-the-Jewish-Community.pdf |archive-date=22 April 2021 |archive-format=PDF |access-date=14 August 2023 |website=bod.org.uk |publisher=Board of Deputies of British Jews |page=7}}{{Cite web |date=22 April 2021 |title=Board of Deputies publishes landmark report on racial inclusivity in the Jewish community |url=https://bod.org.uk/bod-news/board-of-deputies-publishes-landmark-report-on-racial-inclusivity-in-the-jewish-community/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507031801/https://bod.org.uk/bod-news/board-of-deputies-publishes-landmark-report-on-racial-inclusivity-in-the-jewish-community/ |archive-date=7 May 2021 |access-date=22 November 2022 |website=bod.org.uk |publisher=Board of Deputies of British Jews |language=}}