Robert Peston defects from BBC to become ITV’s political editor
The BBC’s economics editor Robert Peston is to make the switch to commercial rival ITV as its political editor, after being lured with the promise of his own eponymous Sunday morning programme - described as a direct competitor to the Andrew Marr Show.
The high-profile defection will come as a blow to the BBC coming fresh on the heels of the loss of Jeremy Clarkson and is a particularly bitter pill to swallow given the efforts bosses went to keep him sweet, including an offer of hosting a new-look Newsnight on Thursday evenings.
Peston, who has been with the BBC for a decade, has earned notoriety for his nasal deliveries, long hair and unorthodox dress code but is respected for breaking a number of exclusives for the BBC – notably the Northern Rock affair which became a harbinger of the credit crunch in Britain.
In a deal negotiated with ITV’s director of television, Peter Fincham, Peston will reportedly be tasked with bolstering ITV’s digital media content by transplanting his popular blog and conducting online video interviews.
Peston will go head to head with Laura Kuenessberg who was promoted to BBC political editor this summer.