Reach chief executive Jim Mullen has written to staff saying “I have kept my word” on job cuts at the group as parts of the business enact redundancies.

Mullen previously wrote to staff at the start of 2024 to say that, after making more than 700 job cuts in 2023, the business planned to end 2024 with “the teams that we have starting the year”.

However recent weeks have seen team restructures and consequent redundancies at titles including the Sunday Express, Scotland’s Sunday Mail and the Irish Sunday Mirror.

In each case the Sunday titles have been moved into a seven-day merged print and digital operation, with a resulting loss of jobs.

Sunday Express editor David Wooding has left Reach as part of the changes, The Guardian has reported, and Sunday Mail editor Lorna Hughes has also elected to leave according to an email seen by Hold the Front Page.

The NUJ Reach group chapel said the recent redundancies “concern more than two dozen talented journalists leaving the company”.

“Our members are mindful of Jim Mullen’s words as we entered 2024 about staff not having ‘one eye over their shoulder’ after a corrosive year of hundreds of lost journalists’ jobs.

“Yet that is exactly what is happening currently, particularly if you are in a print-facing role…

“The constant threat of cutbacks, particularly among the national titles, is a major source of demotivation and drain on morale. This group chapel calls on the company to make 2025 a redundancy-free, growth year at Reach.”

Separately on Friday, Daily Mirror editor-in-chief Caroline Waterston emailed staff saying the staff of the daily newspaper will be merged with that of celebrity magazine OK!. Waterston, who was previously editor of OK!, added the brands “will remain completely distinct” and that she did “not expect this change to result in any reduction in roles”.

Reach CEO says company will end 2024 with more staff than at conclusion of 2023 restructure

On Friday November 22 Mullen emailed staff saying “external commentary” on the company was “noisy, distracting and, to be honest, a bit lazy at times”.

His commitment for 2024, he said, “was about growth, that there would be no more large-scale cuts and that the size of the overall business was about right for the year ahead.

“I have kept my word and have not changed this commitment.

“And I’ve kept my commitment to being upfront with you all about the fact that our business will have to evolve, adapt and continue to change to better suit the changing preferences of our audiences, their chosen channels and our advertisers.”

Last month Reach announced it would be hiring 60 new editorial staff with a focus on “audience writers” and “general assignment journalists” who will cover breaking stories and trending topics. Mullen said this meant the company will conclude 2024 “with more jobs than we had at the conclusion of the 2023 restructure programme”.

“This is not to disparage or dismiss the feelings of colleagues whose roles have been impacted by changes that are part of the running of our business…

“As CEO, I understand that it is my role to make decisions that are not always popular but that I believe are right for the business. I recognise that, at times, it means I won’t win any popularity contests, but I will never shirk from being up front and honest with you.”

In its statement earlier in the week, the NUJ Reach group chapel said the 60 new roles were “of course welcomed.

“But our members cannot avoid the feeling that in some way sacrifices are being made in print – where three quarters of Reach’s revenue still comes from – to fund changes the company wants elsewhere. This is no reflection on anyone being recruited to Reach, but does lead to speculation on the wisdom of the actions being taken.”

There has been a move away from standalone Sunday editorial teams across the news industry. Last year News UK proposed a merger of the Scottish Times and Scottish Sunday Times and Mail Newspapers brought the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday “much closer together”.

Several dedicated Sunday operations continue, however, including The Sunday Times, The Observer and The Sunday Telegraph, as well as FT Weekend and i weekend.

The post Reach ends year with more redundancies but reports net increase in staff appeared first on Press Gazette.

Former Express online editorial director Tom Hunt is now editor-in-chief of the brand.

In recent months Gary Jones has left the Express after six years as editor-in-chief and subsequently Sunday Express editor David Wooding also departed.

Jones was the second editor-in-chief of a Reach national newspaper to leave their post this year after six years: Alison Phillips stepped down from the Mirror at the end of January and was succeeded by Caroline Waterston.

Also this year London free business newspaper City AM, which is expanding its remit nationally, has appointed its former editor Christian May to return to the role.

Press Gazette has put together a round-up of the UK’s national newspaper editors as they stand (in no particular order). We will keep this list updated.

UK national newspaper editors

The Times

Tony Gallagher was appointed editor of The Times on 28 September 2022 following the resignation of John Witherow the day before.

Gallagher was promoted from deputy editor, and had already been acting as caretaker editor for several months while Witherow was on medical leave.

Gallagher joined The Times in February 2020 from fellow News UK title The Sun where he was editor for five years. He has also previously edited The Daily Telegraph between 2009 and 2014.

The Sunday Times

Ben Taylor was named editor of The Sunday Times on 19 January 2023, stepping up from deputy editor after news Emma Tucker would be leaving to lead The Wall Street Journal from 1 February.

Taylor was previously executive editor of the Daily Mail, where he worked for 22 years, before joining The Sunday Times as deputy editor in 2020.

Daily Mail

Ted Verity has edited the Daily Mail since November 2021, having previously been at the helm of the Mail on Sunday since 2018 and deputy at the daily paper before that.

He is editor-in-chief of Mail Newspapers, meaning he has overall responsibility for the Mail brands in a seven-day operation.

Mail on Sunday

Following Verity’s promotion, David Dillon was appointed to be Mail on Sunday editor in December 2021. He was previously Verity’s deputy.

Dillon first joined the Mail on Sunday from the Daily Express in 2001, working as news editor for a number of years before being promoted to executive editor.

The Sun and The Sun on Sunday

Victoria Newton has been editor-in-chief of The Sun since February 2020. She had been editor at The Sun on Sunday since 2013 but took over from Gallagher when he left The Sun for The Times.

Newton has maintained responsibility for the Sunday title in her editor-in-chief role.

Daily Mirror

Caroline Waterston, previously editor-in-chief of Reach magazines and supplements, has edited the Daily Mirror since the start of February 2024 – initially on an interim basis before she was made permanent on 30 April.

Waterston first joined Reach (then Trinity Mirror) in the mid-1990s and her roles have included deputy news editor and features editor of The People, features editor of the Sunday Mirror, head of features and deputy editor on the Sunday titles, deputy editor-in-chief across the Express and Star titles after their acquisition by Reach, and editor-in-chief of the national magazines including OK! magazine.

Waterston took over from Alison Phillips, who had edited the Daily Mirror since March 2018 and was editor-in-chief of that title plus the Sunday Mirror and Sunday People from February 2020 with the move to a seven-day operation.

The Daily Telegraph

Chris Evans has been editor of The Telegraph since January 2014 after the sacking of Tony Gallagher. He has been with The Telegraph since 2007, with previous roles including news editor and head of news, after joining from the Daily Mail where he spent 11 years.

The Sunday Telegraph

Although Evans has ultimate editorial responsibility at The Telegraph, Allister Heath has edited The Sunday Telegraph since 2017, having previously been Telegraph deputy editor.

Daily Express and Sunday Express

Tom Hunt, formerly Express online editorial director, was named editor-in-chief of the brand on 20 September.

At the Daily Express he succeeded Gary Jones who stepped down after six years in the role, which he used to detoxify the brand. Sunday Express editor David Wooding departed his own role about two months later as the Express becomes a seven-day operation without a dedicated Sunday Express team.

Before that Hunt had been with the Express for more than eight years, including as video news editor, leading its first team dedicated to video, and head of news.

Hunt said: “There is a huge opportunity here which I’m excited to take further, both digitally and in print, particularly as we cover Labour’s first months in office and see out a Conservative leadership contest.”

The Guardian

Katharine Viner has been editor-in-chief at The Guardian since 2015, when she was voted by staff to take over from Alan Rusbridger. She was previously editor-in-chief at The Guardian’s US edition.

The Observer

Under Viner’s leadership, Paul Webster edits The Observer. Viner appointed him to the role in 2018, after 20 years as deputy at the Sunday paper.

i

Oly Duff has been editor-in-chief of the i since June 2013, when he became the UK’s youngest national newspaper editor aged 29 – a title he maintains today.

Financial Times

Roula Khalaf has edited The Financial Times since January 2020, when she succeeded Lionel Barber who spent 14 years as editor.

Khalaf had been Barber’s deputy since 2016 and her previous roles at the FT included foreign editor and Middle East editor. She first joined the business newspaper in 1995.

Daily Star

Jon Clark has been seven-day editor-in-chief at the Daily Star since March 2018 after the paper was bought by Reach (then Trinity Mirror). He was previously associate editor at the Daily Mirror from 2013.

Daily Star on Sunday

Under Clark’s leadership, Denis Mann edits the Daily Star on Sunday and is a deputy on the daily. He has similarly held the role since March 2018.

The Independent

Geordie Greig was appointed as editor-in-chief of the digital-only The Independent in January 2023, just over a year after being ousted from editing the Daily Mail. He has previously edited the Mail on Sunday, Evening Standard and Tatler.

He took over at The Independent from David Marley, who had been acting editor since October 2020 when Christian Broughton was promoted to managing director.

Free newspaper editors

Metro

Deborah Arthurs is editor-in-chief of Metro in print and online, having taken the lead on a new combined operation in March 2023.

She had been editor of Metro.co.uk from 2014 and a “gentle refresh” of the brand aligning print and online marked the beginning of her tenure as overall editor.

Arthurs has taken over from Ted Young, who had been editing the print newspaper for eight years.

Evening Standard

Former GQ editor of 22 years Dylan Jones was appointed editor-in-chief of the Evening Standard following a brief period as editorial consultant.

Jones began in the role on Monday 5 June 2023, becoming the news outlet’s first permanent editor in more than 18 months.

Before him, Jack Lefley was acting editor from July 2022 and Charlotte Ross had previously been acting editor from October 2021.

The last full-time editors were Emily Sheffield, who left in October 2021 after 15 months, and former chancellor George Osborne, who was in post between May 2017 and July 2020.

City AM

Former City AM editor Christian May is returning to the free business title after almost four years away at the end of August 2024.

He succeeds Andy Silvester, May’s former deputy who took on the role himself, whose last day was Thursday 18 July.

May described his previous five-year stint as editor as “the happiest and most rewarding years of my life”, adding: “I couldn’t be more excited to rejoin the team at City AM as it gears up for an ambitious era of growth and innovation.”

The post Who are the UK’s national newspaper editors? appeared first on Press Gazette.

Reach-owned Scottish newspaper the Sunday Mail was the only paid-for title to see any minor circulation growth in October, according to the latest public ABC figures.

The Sunday Mail’s average weekly circulation was up 0.5% month-on-month in October to 44,382.

However it still saw year-on-year decline of 16%, joining the rest of the Reach-owned national newspapers which all saw annual decline of 15-20%.

Of the rest of the publicly audited national newspapers, the Mail on Sunday saw the smallest month-on-month decline of -0.1% to 568,734 and the biggest was at Scottish title the Daily Record, down 1.6% to 46,128.

DMGT-owned newspapers Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and the i all kept their annual print circulation declines in single digits in October, as did the Financial Times.

The Daily Mail, with an average daily print circulation of 667,662 in October, and the Mail on Sunday both saw year-on-year drops of 8%.

The i was down 4% to 123,155 while the Financial Times saw a drop of 3% to 108,964 (of which 29% were bulk copies distributed for free in locations like airports and hotels).

National newspaper circulations in October 2024 (ABC) with monthly and yearly changes – this page will be updated monthly:

Read more: Widening gulf between weekday and Saturday UK newspaper sales revealed

The column for bulks refers to copies which are circulated for free at venues such as airports and hotels.

The above figures do not include the Sun, Times and Telegraph titles which have all chosen to keep their ABC circulations private since the start of 2020. The Guardian and Observer joined them in September 2021.

The last ABC figures we have for these titles are as follows:

• The Sun: 1,210,915 (March 2020)
• The Sun on Sunday: 1,013,777 (March 2020)
• The Sunday Times: 647,622 (March 2020)
• The Times: 365,880 (March 2020)
• Daily Telegraph: 317,817 (December 2019)
• Sunday Telegraph: 248,288 (December 2019)
• The Observer: 136,656 (July 2021)
• The Guardian: 105,134 (July 2021)

If these titles have fallen in line with rest of the industry their current circulations as of February 2024 would be as follows:

• The Sun: 700,000
• The Sun on Sunday: 600,000
• The Sunday Times: 322,000
• The Times: 180,000
• Daily Telegraph: 190,000
• Sunday Telegraph: 125,000
• The Observer: 80,000
• The Guardian: 60,000

2022 in focus

These charts show UK national newspaper circulation over the 12 months to March 2023.

2000-present

We have also charted the longer-term change in ABC circulation over the past 20 years across the UK press.

These charts show the extent of the print decline from The Sun reaching 3.76m in 2000 and the Sun on Sunday's launch in February 2012 with a short-lived 3.21m before dropping to just above 2m.

Meanwhile, though the Daily Mirror and Daily Mail once were competitive in print reach at around 2.3m-2.4m in 2000, the Mail now has a circulation three times the size of its former rival.

The Sunday tabloids all saw a spike in 2011 after the closure of the News of the World but few retained the readers – the Sunday People and Sunday Mirror did best at doing so, but largely lost them when the Sun on Sunday launched.

Continue reading for previous months' coverage of the UK's most popular newspapers:

September 2024

The circulation of the Financial Times was up 5% between August and September, the latest ABC figures show.

The FT had a circulation of 109,966, marking a drop of 2% compared to September 2023 - the smallest annual decline among the publicly audited national newspapers.

However the FT has the largest proportion of bulks (copies given away for free at locations like airports and hotels) which were on 31,491 or 29% of its total circulation, and non-UK copies which made up 52% of its ABC total (57,358 copies).

The next smallest annual circulation decline was at the i, down 4% to 124,075 of which 3% were bulk copies.

The biggest annual decline was at Reach tabloid the Sunday People, down 20% to an average of 50,394 weekly copies sold. The Daily Star Sunday (64,645) and Scottish title Sunday Mail (44,144) were both down 18%.

On a monthly basis, the FT was the only title to see growth although free papers Metro (951,154) and City AM (68,144) both stayed steady.

The biggest monthly drops were at the Daily Mirror (212,300), Daily Star Sunday and Sunday Mail, all down 4%.

August 2024

The Daily Star Sunday now has a smaller circulation than the free City AM for the first time since the business newspaper launched 19 years ago.

The average Daily Star Sunday weekly circulation fell by 2% month-on-month and 16% year-on-year in August to 66,994.

London-only title City AM stayed steady compared to July on 68,144 and grew by 5% compared to August last year, with an average of 68,144 on Mondays to Thursdays.

The majority of the paid-for newspapers in our monthly ABC circulation round-up saw a double-digit year-on-year drop in August, led by fellow Reach tabloid the Sunday People which was down 20% to 51,961.

The only paid-for newspaper not to fall on an annual basis was the Financial Times, which stayed steady on 104,826. Of these 31,324 are bulk copies (which are given away for free at locations like airports and hotels).

Compared to July, the Daily Record was narrowly the only paid-for title not to see a drop, staying steady on 48,472.

The Evening Standard began its transition away from being a daily newspaper at the end of July when it dropped its Monday and Friday editions. Nonetheless it dropped its distribution by only 1%, albeit 10% year-on-year, to 273,631.

July 2024

The Sunday People suffered the biggest decline in print circulation among the UK's national newspapers in July.

The weekly Reach tabloid's ABC circulation was down by 20% year-on-year and 2% month-on-month to 52,350.

The only national newspaper to see year-on-year growth in July was the Financial Times, which was up 2% to 108,070 despite seeing the joint biggest month-on-month decline of 2%.

Compared to last July, the FT's newsstand sales were down but paid subscriptions, bulk copies (which are given away for free at locations like airports and hotels) and non-UK copies were up.

Among the rest, the smallest annual decline was at the i, which was down 3% to 127,526. The i also had the biggest month-on-month growth, of 2%.

July marked the Evening Standard's final month printing five days a week as it phases out its daily edition ahead of going weekly. It dropped its Monday and Friday editions at the end of the month.

Across the month the Standard had an average print distribution of 276,885 - up 1% month-on-month but down 9% year-on-year.

June 2024

The average daily print circulation of the i is now higher than the Daily Star's for the first time in its history.

The change comes two months after the i's circulation was also higher than the Sunday Express for the first time as the DMGT-owned title's print readership has stayed relatively steady for several months.

In June the i reported an ABC print circulation of 125,545 - narrowly edging above the Daily Star on 125,525.

The i, which launched in October 2010, saw growth compared to May of 1% and and annual decline of 14%.

Meanwhile the Daily Star reported a month-on-month drop of 1% and year-on-year fall of 15%.

Pre-Covid, in the first half of March 2020, the Daily Star had an average circulation of 276,453 - at the time 28% higher than the i on 215,640.

The biggest circulation drops in June were at the Sunday People (20% down to 53,501), Daily Star Sunday (18% down to 68,003) and Sunday Mail (18% down to 46,794).

As well as the i, the Financial Times was the only paid-for newspaper to grow its circulation, up 2% month-on-month and steady year-on-year at 110,736. Although the FT's paid newsstand sales were up marginally (to 12,534) its subscription copies were down 1% (to 9,069).

Free London daily City AM upped its distribution year-on-year by 1% to 68,112 and stayed steady compared to May.

May 2024

The Evening Standard dropped its distribution by 12% in May compared to the previous year as it announced plans to end its daily publication and go weekly in print.

This was a 12% year-on-year drop for the second month running although its distribution stayed steady between April and May.

The Standard distributed an average of 275,683 copies per day in May, according to the latest ABC figures.

As recently as October 2022 the Standard was distributing more than 400,000 copies a day. It has been below 300,000 since October 2023.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic it was distributing around 800,000 copies per day.

Meanwhile, every paid-for national newspaper saw their print circulation decline in May - although it should be noted that the year-on-year comparison is affected by the boost several Sunday newspapers saw last year from the King's coronation.

Reach tabloid the Sunday People saw the biggest drop compared to May 2023, with its average circulation down by 24% to 54,150.

Also dropping by more than a fifth year-on-year were fellow Reach weeklies the Sunday Express (down 22% to 124,581) and Daily Star Sunday (down 21% to 69,200).

The only paid-for newspapers to fall by less than 10% year-on-year were the i (down 5% to 124,904) and Financial Times (down 1% to 108,824).

On a month-by-month basis, the Sunday Mail in Scotland was the only title to see growth compared to April, as its circulation was up 1% to 48,292.

The biggest month-on-month decline was of 4% at the Daily Mirror (to 225,983), Daily Record (to 49,673) and Sunday Post (to 34,581).

Free newspaper Metro kept its distribution steady both month-on-month and year-on-year while London free business newspaper City AM grew marginally year-on-year and stayed steady from April into May.

April 2024

The i's print circulation is now higher than the Sunday Express for the first time in its history, according to the latest ABC data.

In April the circulation of the i, which launched in 2010, stayed steady compared to the previous month and fell by 5% year-on-year to 126,266.

The Sunday Express fell by 2% month-on-month and 17% year-on-year to 125,990, resulting in it falling one place down our monthly table.

The biggest year-on-year print circulation decline was again at the Sunday People, down 21% to 55,526. The largest month-on-month drop was of 4% at the Daily Star Sunday, to 69,766.

The Financial Times was, as in March, the only paid-for newspaper not to see annual decline, staying steady compared to April last year. Its average circulation was 109,868 made up of 12,068 newsstand copies, 9,365 subscriptions, 31,155 bulk copies (distributed for free in locations like airports and hotels) and 57,280 copies in other countries.

Of the rest of the paid-for newspapers, the i was the only one to see single-digit decline. Its DMGT stablemates the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday each declined by 10% year-on-year to 699,240 and 586,187 respectively.

March 2024

The Mail on Sunday's average print circulation fell below 600,000 in March, according to ABC.

The Sunday newspaper's circulation fell by 1% compared to February and 10% versus March 2023, reaching 594,414.

The Mail on Sunday's circulation is now about half of where it was in October 2017 - six and a half years ago.

However, in that time there has been a notable shift in its circulation mix with subscriptions making up a greater slice of the pie: newsstand sales are down 5% to 524,545 but paid subscriptions are up 404% to 69,869.

Meanwhile in Scotland the Sunday Mail, owned by Reach, fell below a circulation of 50,000 - reaching 48,597 following a month-on-month decline of 3%. This is more than half of its pre-Covid circulation of 104,608.

Also in March, the Daily Star grew its average circulation by 3% month-on-month to 134,924 while the Daily Mirror (237,233) and Financial Times (109,181) were up 1%. Others were steady or down by up to 3%.

The ABC figures are average per issue, meaning they should not be skewed by the fact March was a longer month than February, with one extra weekend.

The biggest year-on-year decline was at the Sunday People, down 21% to 57,163, followed by the Sunday Mail and Sunday Post (35,848) each down 17%. The only paid-for title not to see decline was the Financial Times, which stayed steady compared to March last year.

The Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday's digital editions stayed steady month-on-month, with active views per issue of 88,176 and 89,639 respectively.

February 2024

The Financial Times saw the biggest month-on-month drop in print circulation among the publicly audited national newspapers in February.

The FT had an average circulation of 108,125 in February according to ABC, down 6% compared to January - although it lost just 0.4% compared to a year earlier.

Subscriptions (9,255) were down 12% month-on-month to 9,255 while newsstand sales (12,227) were down 7% to 12,227 and global circulation (55,781) was down 8% to 55,781. But bulks (free copies distributed at locations like airports and hotels) were steady on 30,862.

The FT also had a digital edition circulation of 16,403, up 5% month-on-month.

The Daily Mail digital edition had average actively-viewed copies of 88,346 in February, up 1% month-on-month and 3% year-on-year.

The Mail on Sunday’s digital edition was on 90,062, up 1% and 2% respectively.

The Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday are top of the table among the paid-for newspapers that have their ABC circulations published, with circulations of 705,311 and 600,311 respectively.

Their next rival in the public table, the Daily Mirror, is several hundred thousand behind on 234,492.

Reach tabloid the Sunday People again reported the biggest annual decline, down 22% to 57,670 - the only drop in this set of figures of more than a fifth. It was followed by sister title Daily Star Sunday, down 18% to 72,363.

Free London title City AM was the only newspaper to grow its distribution year-on-year in February, upping its print run by 1% to 68,009. Month-on-month it was up by the same percentage and was joined by fellow free title the Evening Standard, which had a circulation of 277,238. The Standard, however, was down 11% compared to the year before.

January 2024

The Sunday People was the only national newspaper to see a print circulation decline of more than a fifth in January 2024.

The Reach tabloid had an average weekly circulation of 58,831 in January - down 22% year-on-year and 3% month-on-month.

Sister Reach titles the Daily Star Sunday, Daily Star, Sunday Mail, Daily Record and Sunday Express all saw their circulations down by 15 to 17% year-on-year, as did DC Thomson's Sunday Post.

The only paid-for newspaper to stay steady year-on-year was the Financial Times, on 115,118. Its newsstand sales were down 14% but subscriptions were up 3%, bulk copies (those distributed in locations like hotels and airports) were up 1% and non-UK readership was up 4%.

The FT's actively purchased sales in the UK and Ireland averaged 24,000 with the rest of the circulation in Europe, Asia and the US.

The free Metro (953,856) and City AM (67,215) papers also kept their circulations about the same as in January 2023.

Month-on-month, the Daily Star Sunday saw the biggest decline of 8% to 73,103. The FT was up 1% as was free London paper the Evening Standard (277,238).

The Mail titles also report their digital edition readership numbers: the Daily Mail’s digital edition had an average circulation of 87,571 in January, up 1% month-on-month and 2% year-on-year. The Mail on Sunday's digital edition was up 2% month-on-month and 1% year-on-year to 89,326.

The FT published a digital edition figure of 15,594, down 6% year-on-year but up 12% month-on-month. This figure includes FT Premium and FT e-paper subscribers and customers through distributors Barnes and Noble, Media Carrier and Gold Key Media.

December 2023

December was a reasonable month for print circulation among the UK's national newspapers, with some experiencing monthly growth.

Scottish weekly the Sunday Mail saw the biggest growth compared to November, up 5% to 52,842, followed by the Financial Times (up 4% to 114,338), Daily Star Sunday (up 3% to 79,218) and the Daily Mail (up 2% to 733,577).

The Sunday Post and Daily Express also grew by up to 1% while the Daily Mirror and the i fell by less than 1%.

Decline continued across the board when compared to December 2022, however, but it was lower than usual at some titles.

Often several newspapers see their circulation fall by about a fifth year-on-year but in December the only newspaper down that much was the Sunday People (a fall of 19% to 60,470).

Behind that, the Daily Star (136,909) and Daily Record (54,379) were both down by 14%.

The smallest annual circulation decline was at the i, down 7% to 128,110.

The Telegraph, which no longer publishes its total circulation (see below), has revealed it had an average weekly subscription number of 1,035,710 in December, made up of 117,586 in print, 688,012 in digital, and 230,112 across Telegraph Wine Cellar, Telegraph Puzzles and Chelsea Magazine Company.

The Mail titles also report their digital edition readership numbers: the Daily Mail's digital edition had an average circulation of 86,744 in December (up 2% month-on-month and 5% year-on-year) while the Mail on Sunday was on 87,910 (up 1% and 3% respectively).

November 2023

The i was the only UK national newspaper to avoid month-on-month print circulation decline in November.

The DMGT-owned newspaper stayed steady, growing 0.1% compared to October to an average circulation of 128,566.

The i also saw the second-smallest year-on-year drop of 7.4%, behind only the Financial Times which fell by just 0.3% to 110,220.

[Read more: As digital subs overtake print at i, editor Oliver Duff explains why future is bright for title]

The FT's newsstand sales (12,822) and paid subscriptions (9,373) were both down but the newspaper increased its bulk copies given away at locations like airports and hotels (32,001) and global distribution (56,024).

Free London newspaper City AM also stayed steady both month-on-month and year-on-year, with an average distribution of 67,940.

The biggest month-on-month declines were at the Sunday Post (down 2.7% to 38,160), the Sunday Mirror (down 1.9% to 182,978), the Sunday Mail (down 1.9% to 52,104) and the FT (down 1.7%).

The biggest annual drops were at the Sunday People (down 20.3% to 61,570), the Sunday Post (down 18.1%) and Daily Star Sunday (down 17.4% to 76,868).

October 2023

The Financial Times saw the smallest change in its print circulation in October, according to the latest monthly analysis of UK national newspapers.

The business newspaper grew by 0.4% month-on-month and declined by 0.3% in October to an average daily circulation of 112,139.

This included a slight increase (2% month-on-month and 6% year-on-year) in bulk copies distributed for free at locations like airports and hotels. These made up 29% of the FT's circulation in October.

The i, where bulks make up 1% of its circulation, had the next smallest annual decline in October of 8% to 128,494.

No other paid-for UK national newspapers that continue to publicly report their circulation figures still distribute bulk newspapers.

The biggest year-on-year circulation declines among paid-for titles were at Reach tabloids with a 22% drop at the Sunday People to 62,143 and a 19% fall at the Daily Star Sunday to 78,051.

Free title the Evening Standard saw the biggest drop overall, with its distribution down 27% compared to October 2022 to 293,663. This is the first time its distribution has gone below 300,000 since October 2009 when it became a free newspaper.

September 2023

Many UK national newspapers reported steeper-than-usual annual print circulation declines in September due to comparisons with the previous year when the death of The Queen appeared to lead to an uptick in sales.

The Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday both saw their circulation fall by 17% year-on-year in September - up from an average decline of mostly somewhere between 10% and 13% each month in the year so far.

The biggest year-on-year decline among paid-for nationals was at the Sunday People (down 24% to 62,712) followed by sister Reach title Daily Star Sunday (down 22% to 79,198).

Meanwhile the i, also owned by Mail publisher DMG Media, saw its average circulation fall below 130,000 in September to 129,133. Its earliest available ABC figures for January 2011, three months after its launch, show it was then on 133,472.

The Financial Times was the only newspaper to avoid a month-on-month circulation decline, growing by 7% to 111,738. It also reported the smallest drop compared to September last year, down 2%.

August 2023

Annual declines in print national newspaper circulations across the board continued in August.

The biggest year-on-year drops were at the Daily Star Sunday (down 22.4% to 80,124) and the Sunday People (down 21.8% to 64,605).

The smallest annual decline was at the Financial Times, down 1% to 104,423 – of which 30,616 were bulk copies given away at locations like airports and hotels.

London business newspaper City AM did increase its free distribution by three-quarters compared to last summer, with an average of 64,729 copies distributed each Monday to Thursday in its first month of ownership by online retailer THG. It fell by 4% month-on-month.

The Daily Record was marginally the only paid-for title not to see a month-on-month drop in circulation. All others fell by up to 2% compared to July.

July 2023

Every national newspaper saw a year-on-year print circulation decline in July, according to the latest ABC figures.

The smallest annual decline was at the Financial Times, which fell by 1% to 106,038. The biggest drop was at the Sunday People, with the Reach tabloid falling by 22% to 65,460, followed by sister title the Daily Star Sunday down 20% to 80,847.

Free London newspaper the Evening Standard saw the biggest drop to its distribution overall, down 24% to 302,602. Fellow free London title, City AM, did see growth, increasing its distribution by 81%, compared to a dip last summer, to 67,600.

The FT did, however, have the biggest month-on-month decline of 4%. Three titles grew their circulations by a fraction of a percent compared to June: the Mail on Sunday, the i and City AM.

June 2023

The Sunday Mirror's print newspaper circulation fell below 200,000 for the first time in June.

In January 2000, the earliest data available on the ABC website, the Sunday Mirror had a print circulation of two million. By January 2020, just before the Covid-19 pandemic began, the paper was on 367,244.

Also in June, the Sunday People, sister title to the Sunday Mirror, saw its sales move below the free distribution of London business newspaper City AM.

City AM fell by 15% year-on-year to 67,602, staying steady month-on-month compared to May, while the Sunday People fell by 21% and 6% respectively to 66,950.

The smallest year-on-year declines were at the i and the Financial Times, which both saw their circulations fall by 5% to 130,945 and 111,014 respectively.

The biggest declines were of the Evening Standard's free distribution (down 29% year-on-year to 308,874) and the Sunday People.

Month-on-month, the FT's circulation was up 1% compared to May while Metro and City AM both kept their free distributions steady. The biggest drops were at the Sunday Express and Mail on Sunday, both down 9% to 145,543 and 637,437 respectively.

May 2023

The Sunday Express rose above the Daily Star's print circulation in May as several Sunday newspapers saw a month-on-month boost, likely as a result of souvenir coverage of King Charles III's coronation.

Charles and Camilla officially became King and Queen on Saturday 6 May, with many Sunday titles producing souvenir editions with extra pages and wraparound front covers on the following day.

The Queen's death and funeral in September similarly led to a boost in audience both in print and online.

In May, the Mail on Sunday grew by 7% month-on-month, the Sunday Express was up 6%, the Sunday Mirror by 3%, the Sunday People by 2%, and the Daily Star Sunday by 1%. All continued to fall on a year-on-year basis, however, although by a lower percentage rate than the monthly reports frequently show.

At the Mail on Sunday, paid single copies grew by 7% to 622,360 and subscriptions rose by 8% to 75,585. However at the Sunday Express the boost primarily came from newsstand sales, which were up by 6% to 150,909, whereas subscriptions, on which the title relies less, were up by only 1% to 9,182.

The boost at the Sunday Express took it above the Daily Star's circulation for the first time since January 2021 and May 2020, both anomalous months. Before May 2020, the daily title had been higher in our ranking since December 2011.

April 2023

Print circulation decline continued across the board at the UK's national newspapers in April.

The biggest drop among paid-for nationals was at the Sunday People, down 22% to 69,990. London's free Evening Standard, however, saw a greater fall of 31% to 311,216.

The smallest decline was at the FT, which dropped 2% year-on-year to an average monthly circulation of 109,637. It is the only ABC-audited newspaper to distribute a significant number of bulk free copies at locations such as airports and hotels as part of its circulation, but these fell by 9% so the smaller decline cannot be attributed to that portion of its circulation.

The only newspapers to grow by 1% between March and April were the Daily Mirror and the free City AM. The biggest month-on-month drop was of 3% at the Sunday People.

March 2023

The i reported the smallest annual print circulation decline among the UK’s national newspapers in March, according to the latest ABC figures.

The i’s circulation was down 7% in March compared to a year before, reaching 131,825. It was the only annual decrease under 10%.

The biggest decline was at the Evening Standard, where its free distribution was down by 31% year-on-year to 310,236.

The biggest paid-for drop was at the Sunday People, down by 21% to 72,091 – the only newspaper with an annual decline of more than a fifth in March.

Every newspaper publicly audited by ABC saw their circulation between February and March change by a narrow margin of between -2% (Daily Star Sunday, Sunday People, Sunday Post) and 1% (Financial Times, Daily Star).

The highest circulation paid-for print newspaper remains the Daily Mail, on 777,586 (down 11% year-on-year and 1% month-on-month). Metro, distributed for free in 50 UK cities, was on 952,424 (down 11% and 0.4% respectively).

February 2023

The Evening Standard has dropped its distribution by almost a third in a year.

The newspaper reported an average distribution of 311,485 for February, meaning it is nearing its circulation from before it went free – its final ABC report as a paid-for newspaper was 256,229 in September 2009.

December was the only month since then that it has been lower, on 310,933, than February’s total. Pre-Covid in February 2020 it was distributing an average of 787,447 copies per day.

The biggest print circulation decline of the UK’s paid-for national newspapers in February was Reach tabloid the Sunday People, which fell by 23% to 73,875. Reach told staff in January the People would begin to share most content with the Sunday Mirror, which itself was down 18% to sales of 209,197.

Fellow Reach title the Daily Express was the only other title aside from the People to fall by more than a fifth, going down by 21% to 173,372.

The smallest annual declines were at the i, which was down 8% to 132,222, and the Financial Times, down 9% to 108,562.

However the FT reported the biggest month-on-month drop of 5%.

Metro and City AM both kept their free distributions steady compared to January, and while the Daily Star Sunday was the only paid-for newspaper to see no month-on-month decline the Daily Star and Sunday Mail each fell by less than 1%.

January 2023

The Daily Mail's print circulation fell below 800,000 for the first time in January, according to the latest ABC data.

The newspaper reported an average circulation of 797,704, a dip of 12% year-on-year or 2% month-on-month. The Sun, traditionally its rival for the top of the table, is among the newspapers that no longer make their print circulations public.

In March 2020, the last time it published its ABC total, The Sun was on a circulation of 1,210,915 versus 1,132,908 for the Mail. The Mail then overtook The Sun for the first time in 42 years in May that year with a circulation of 980,000 and continues to be the UK's best selling daily.

The only newspaper to report growth in January compared to the same month last year was the Financial Times, up by 1% to 114,685, although it also saw the biggest month-on-month decline of 11% due to a decrease in non-UK circulation, bulk copies distributed in locations such as airports and hotels, and newsstand sales.

The biggest year-on-year decline was at the free Evening Standard, which reduced its distribution by 30% to 314,285, followed by the paid-for Reach tabloid Sunday People, down 23% to 75,521.

The Daily Star Sunday, Daily Express, Sunday Post, Sunday Mirror, Sunday Mail and Sunday Express all saw their circulations decline year-on-year by 20%. However all except the Daily Star Sunday and Daily Express stayed steady or grew month-on-month. All are owned by Reach, except the Sunday Post which is owned by DC Thomson.

The biggest month-on-month growth was at City AM, which stopped putting out newspapers on Fridays in January due to low commuter numbers on that day. Editor Andy Silvester said at the time that distribution on Mondays to Thursdays had almost reached pre-pandemic levels.

December 2022

Free newspapers Evening Standard and City AM suffered the biggest drops in their print distribution in December compared to the previous year.

The titles appeared to be distributing fewer copies as publishers suffer rising paper and energy costs amid continued changes to working patterns that see fewer commuters on Mondays and Fridays in particular. Subsequent to these figures, in January City AM has dropped its Friday print edition - but its editor Andy Silvester said the paper was "thriving" on the other four days of the working week.

The Evening Standard's distribution in December was down by 30% year-on-year to 310,933 - its lowest since before it went free in October 2009.

Meanwhile City AM was down 25% to 58,664 and also saw the biggest month-on-month decline, down 14% from November.

Fellow free newspaper Metro also dropped its print distribution, but by a much lesser margin: in December it was down 6% year-on-year and 1% month-on-month to 965,960.

Among the paid-for newspapers whose circulations are published by ABC, several Sunday titles published by Reach all lost more than a fifth of their circulations year-on-year: the Sunday People was down 24% to 74,601, the Daily Star Sunday was down 23% to 88,434, the Sunday Mirror was down 21% to 208,794 and the Sunday Express was also down 21% to 153,377. DC Thomson's Sunday Post in Scotland was also down 22% to 44,038.

These five titles, plus the Sunday Mail in Scotland, also posted the largest paid-for circulation declines month-on-month ranging between 6% and 3% down from November.

The smallest annual decline was at the i (down 5% to 137,039) followed by the Financial Times (down 8% to 128,794).

Two newspapers posted month-on-month growth: the Financial Times (up 17%) and the Daily Mail (up 2% to 812,106 - stopping it from dropping below 800,000 for the first time).

November 2022

Print decline across the board continued among the UK's national newspapers in November.

The smallest drop was at the i, which saw its print circulation decline by 3% year-on-year to 138,782.

The biggest was at the free Evening Standard, which dropped its distribution by 27% to 319,485. Among paid newspapers, it was Reach tabloid the Sunday People, down to to 77,300 - a 23% drop compared to November 2021.

The only newspaper not to report decline month-on-month was the Sunday Post in Scotland, which grew by 88 copies, or 0.2%, on average.

The Daily Mail remains the biggest paid-for print newspaper of those that publicly release their ABC circulations, staying just above 800,000. The free title Metro had an average distribution of 977,077 in November.

October 2022

No UK national newspapers saw print circulation growth, whether year-on-year or month-on-month, in October.

The latest ABC figures show the smallest declines among paid-for newspapers were at the i (down 3% year-on-year to 140,196 – the only single-figure annual decline) and the Financial Times (down 1% month-on-month to 112,478).

Many national newspapers saw month-on-month growth in September, likely down to appetite for souvenir editions following the death of the Queen.

The biggest drops between September and October, possibly indicating the newspapers with the biggest boost from the national mourning period, were at the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and Daily Express, which all fell by 8% month-on-month.

The biggest annual declines were at DC Thomson’s Sunday Post in Scotland and Reach tabloid the Sunday People, down 22% and 21% respectively.

The Daily Express, FT, Sunday Mail and Daily Star Sunday all saw year-on-year falls of 19%.

September 2022

A strong appetite for print newspapers and souvenir editions following the death of the Queen appears to have led to month-on-month circulation growth almost across the board at the UK's national newspapers.

But the uplift was not high enough for most to report annual growth.

Of the eight publicly audited paid-for titles that saw month-on-month growth - the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday, Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror, Daily Express, Sunday Express, i and Financial Times - there was an average uplift of 4%. This growth was the same when factoring in the free distributions of Metro and the Evening Standard.

Including every newspaper in our ABC table, excluding City AM which appears to be an anomaly with its free distribution boosted by 37% following a severe slump, there was average month-on-month change of 2%.

The biggest month-on-month change was at the Financial Times, up by 8% to 113,992, followed by the Mail on Sunday (749,960) and i (147,609) which both grew by 5%.

However, annual decline continued at every newspaper except the Financial Times and the i. Although both are the only newspapers that still put bulk copies into locations like airports and hotels, making up 27% of the FT's circulation and 4% at the i, more of their annual growth was down to newsstand sales than this strategy.

The i was in fact at its highest level since December 2020, when it had a circulation of 148,927.

The biggest annual declines were at the Sunday People (down 20% to 82,275) and Sunday Post (down 19% to 48,938).

Scroll down or click here for new graphs charting the ups and downs of the UK national press in the past 20 years.

August 2022

The Financial Times saw marginal year-on-year growth in circulation in August, with every other newspaper continuing to decline.

The FT had a circulation of 105,748 in August compared to 105,213 the year before. Its newsstand sales and non-UK circulation grew although paid subscriptions and bulks (copies distributed for free at locations such as airports and hotels) were down.

Month-on-month, the only newspapers to see growth were the Daily Star Sunday, up 2% to 103,200 and the Scottish title Daily Record which was up by 1% to 69,316. Both are owned by Reach.

The Evening Standard also upped its free distribution, although by less than 1%. Its print readership in July was its lowest since before it went free in October 2009, with August the second lowest. Its year-on-year decline of 19% was one of the biggest in our table.

Fellow London free title City AM is also at its lowest distribution (36,640) since its 2005 launch. Its print edition was paused for 18 months during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Reach-owned Sunday People's circulation was down the most, by 22% to 82,597, with DC Thomson's Sunday Post down by 20% to 48,943.

July 2022

Every publicly audited UK national newspaper recorded a year-on-year decline in circulation in July.

Even the Financial Times, which has seen year-on-year growth every month since July 2021, was down by a few hundred copies compared to the year before. This was the smallest annual decline among the audited newspapers.

The Metro distributed less than one million copies for the first time since May 2021, when it trumpeted making it back over that milestone following the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The biggest year-on-year decline was a drop of 22% at the Sunday People.

Month-on-month, however, there was growth of 2% at the i largely down to an increase in paid subscriptions.

The biggest decline from June to July was at City AM, where free distribution more than halved to 37,369.

June 2022

Every publicly ABC audited UK national newspaper saw circulation decline from May to June with the exception of the i which saw growth of 0.2%.

Compared to June 2021, the Financial Times was the only paid-for newspaper to report growth, of 8% to 116,498.

Since the Covid-19 lockdowns ended the FT's circulation increases have largely been put down to the return of the distribution of free bulk copies at locations like airports and hotels. But in June a 17% year-on-year increase in bulk copies to 35,094 was also accompanied by 9% growth in paid newsstand sales to 15,612 (alongside a 4% decline in subscriptions to 9,076).

The smallest (4%) annual decline was at the i, which had a circulation of 137,964 and is the only other paid-for newspaper to still be shored up with free bulk copies - although they only account for 4% of its current total.

The biggest month-on-month decline was at the Sunday Mail in Scotland (down 5% to 66,469) while the biggest annual drop was at the Sunday People (down 23% to 85,212). Both are owned by Reach.

The free Metro was the only national newspaper other than the FT to grow year-on-year (by 3%) as it has upped its distribution this year compared to the Covid-hit 2020 and 2021.

May 2022

The Metro and Financial Times were the only national newspapers to grow their print readerships from last May to this year.

Metro had an average free distribution of 1,074,594 in May, staying steady month-on-month but growing by 17% since last year due to putting out more copies as people have returned to offices and public transport since the final Covid-19 lockdown.

The only paid-for newspapers to grow their circulations month-on-month in May were the Financial Times, up 4% to 116,747 as growth in subscriptions, non-UK sales and bulk copies distributed in locations like airports and hotels offset a drop in newsstand sales, and the Sunday Mail in Scotland, up 0.2% to 69,923. The Sunday Mail did, however, fall by 17% year-on-year.

The FT was the only paid-for paper to grow its circulation compared to May 2021, in large part because it has increased its distribution of bulk copies post-Covid from 25,361 last year to 34,661.

London's free business newspaper City AM has also continued its post-Covid growth, reaching its highest distribution level since returning in September from an 18-month hiatus.

Editor Andy Silvester told Press Gazette's Future of Media Explained podcast this month that the paper's return to pre-pandemic levels "probably proves a lot of sceptics wrong". In May City AM's average free distribution was 82,455, down 4% on February 2020 but up 1% month-on-month.

The biggest month-on-month declines were at the Daily Mirror and Daily Star, both down 4%, while the biggest annual drop was at the Sunday People, down 24%. All three are Reach titles.

April 2022

The Daily Mail and Daily Mirror both marginally grew their print circulations in April compared to March, bucking the industry's usual downward trend.

The Daily Mail was up 1% month-on-month to 879,102 while the Daily Mirror also grew by 1% to 327,341.

However both fell by 11% compared to April 2021 and both figures were still their second-lowest respectively since ABC auditing began.

The Daily Mail's digital edition had a readership of 76,315 in April.

Free newspapers Metro, Evening Standard and City AM all also saw month-on-month growth, increasing their print distributions.

After an 18-month Covid-enforced hiatus, free business newspaper City AM returned to print in September and has now upped its distribution for three months in a row. It is now at 81,713, its highest since February 2020 when it was on 85,738.

Metro remains the most-distributed newspaper in the UK, putting out 1,074,889 copies for free in April.

The Sun, Times, Telegraph and Guardian titles no longer publish their ABC print circulations, having opted to take them private and focus on other metrics - for example, online subscriptions for The Telegraph and Times.

The Financial Times saw an 8% decline month-on-month to 112,344 but grew by 12% on April last year, making it the only paid-for newspaper to grow year-on-year. This is largely because it is putting out more bulks - free copies in locations such as airports and hotels - than it did for much of the Covid-19 pandemic (now 33,849 compared to 22,487 last year) while it has also roughly tripled subscriptions in a year (to 9,776).

March 2022

The Mail on Sunday under editor David Dillon had a circulation of 748,965 in March.

Similar to its competitors, the newspaper's circulation has been in steady decline over several years. In March, it fell by 14% year-on-year and 2% compared to the month before. It is down a fifth from 952,914 two years earlier in March 2020, before the Covid-19 pandemic hit.

The Mail on Sunday is currently in the centre of a sexism row around a story reporting that Deputy Labour Leader Angela Rayner had been accused of crossing and uncrossing in the House of Commons to distract Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Dillon refused to meet Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle, saying journalists should “not take instruction from officials of the House of Commons, however august they may be”.

The Mail on Sunday's circulation remains behind the Daily Mail on 875,125 but a long way ahead of its next ABC-audited paid competitor, the Daily Mirror on 325,271.

The Sun, Times, Telegraph and Guardian titles all no longer publish their ABC-audited circulations.

The Financial Times was once again the only paid-for newspaper to see year-on-year growth, due to putting out more bulk copies in locations like airports and hotels than in March 2021. It was up 21% on the same time last year, to 121,490 - of which a third (40,958) were bulks.

However its circulation was higher in October to December last year, and its last pre-pandemic figure was 146,373 in March 2020. At that time about a fifth were bulk copies.

City AM's free distribution rose above 80,000 for the first time since it resumed printing in September after an 18-month Covid-enforced hiatus. It distributed an average of 80,440 copies in March compared to 85,738 in February 2020.

The Metro remains the most-distributed newspaper in the UK, putting out 1,073,993 copies for free in March.

February 2022

The Daily Mail's print circulation has fallen below 900,000 for the first time in more than 100 years.

In February the newspaper sold an average of 896,455 copies each day - or 767,021 on weekdays and 1,449,049 on Saturdays - following a month-on-month drop of 1% and year-on-year decline of 7%.

The Daily Mail launched in 1896 with sales of 397,215. Within its first few years it surpassed one million and, despite a brief drop in 1915 in a row with the Government over troops' munition supplies, remained above that mark until the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sister title Mail on Sunday had an average circulation of 767,756 in February, down 2% month-on-month and 10% year-on-year.

The Sun, for many years the Daily Mail's closest ABC rival, no longer publishes its circulation - but the Mail overtook the red-top for the first time in 42 years in 2020.

The most-circulated national newspaper remains the free Metro, with a distribution of 1,066,327 that was up compared to both the month and year prior.

By contrast, fellow free newspaper the Evening Standard was down 9% year-on-year to 448,043.

The biggest annual declines were at Reach's Sunday People (95,637, down 20%) and Daily Star Sunday (107,478, down 19%).

January 2022

The Daily Mail was the only paid-for national newspaper to grow its circulation from December to January.

It reported 1% growth month-on-month, while its year-on-year decline of 5% to 909,201 was the smallest among the paid-for newspapers that don't use bulk copies.

The Financial Times grew by 17% year-on-year to 113,817 while the i grew by 1% to 142,598. Excluding bulk copies given away for free at locations such as airports and hotels, the FT grew by 3% to 79,446 and the i stayed steady on 137,483.

The biggest year-on-year decline was at Reach's Daily Star Sunday, which fell by 19% to 110,133. Month-on-month, the biggest decline was at the FT, which dropped by 18%.

Metro stayed steady between December and January but reported a 72% year-on-year jump. It built back its free distribution, which was massively scaled back in the early pandemic, and crossed the 1m mark once again in May last year.

December 2021

The Daily Star’s circulation has fallen below 200,000 for the first time in its 43-year history.

The tabloid had an average daily readership of 197,998 in December, according to the latest ABC figures, following a 2% month-on-month drop and a 14% decline since a year earlier.

The figures show continuing print readership decline as the lowest the Star’s circulation had gone during the first Covid-19 lockdown was 219,275 in April 2020.

It follows Reach stablemate Sunday People’s circulation falling below 100,000 in November.

In December the Daily Star Sunday and Sunday People saw the biggest annual circulation drops of 20% and 19% respectively.

The only paid-for newspaper to grow year-on-year was the Financial Times, which has upped the number of bulk copies given away for free since last year. However it still fell 2% month-on-month with bulk copies, newsstand sales and subscriptions all down in December.

The only newspaper to see month-on-month growth was City AM, which returned to print in September and in December was distributing an average of 78,418 copies each day compared to 85,738 in February 2020.

November 2021

The first ABC figures for London freesheet City AM since it returned to print in September show distribution is down 9% since February 2020.

Meanwhile, in November the Sunday People's circulation dropped by 21% to 99,915 - the first time since ABC records began in 2000 that its average circulation was below 100,000, even during the earlier Covid-19 lockdowns.

City AM distributed an average of 77,959 copies each weekday between 8 and 28 November, compared to 85,738 in February 2020.

Chief executive Jens Torpe told Press Gazette in September he hoped to reach pre-pandemic levels of distribution within about a month of relaunching.

According to the newspaper's ABC certificate it has hugely boosted its number of distribution points from 913 in February 2020 to 3,632. The business paper struck a deal to be found in all WeWork’s London locations and new offices, and went further out into the commuter belt to compensate for changing travel patterns as many City workers stuck with flexible working.

Average pagination has gone from 28 in February 2020 to 26, with editorial content up from 70% to 72%.

Nationally-published free newspaper Metro, which continued distributing throughout the pandemic for groups like key workers who kept travelling, remains 25% down on its February 2020 distribution level with 1.05m. It re-crossed the 1m mark in May and is the most-read newspaper in the UK.

The Evening Standard, which like City AM is only distributed in London, is 44% down on its February 2020 level with a distribution of 439,445 - but chief executive Charles Yardley told Press Gazette this was a "comfortable number that’s working well". It also kept publishing throughout the pandemic, but experimented with free home delivery for the first time.

The only newspapers to record year-on-year growth in November were Metro and the Financial Times, which both grew by 37%. The FT's newsstand sales were down by a quarter but subscriptions and bulk copies distributed for free were both up.

October 2021

The FT has grown its circulation by a third in the past year, and by a quarter between September and October, largely by putting out more free bulk copies.

The newspaper reported a circulation of 138,446 in October, which includes 55,222 bulk copies distributed for free in places like airports and hotels which have more than doubled since October 2020.

The FT's newsstand sales have decreased by 29% from 20,357 to 14,490 in a year although paid subscriptions grew 191% from 3,697 to 10,764. The FT also reports sales in other countries of 57,970 within its total.

It is the FT's highest circulation since the first three weeks of March 2020, when it was on 146,373, while the trend at most paid-for newspapers has been decline throughout 2021. (The i, which is up since January, is the only other national to put out bulks).

Meanwhile Metro has settled its free distribution on 1.05m which is up 35% compared to October 2020 when some workers had begun to return to work but at a slower pace than expected.

Its free rival in London, the Evening Standard, is down 10% compared to last year on 457,542.

The Saturday edition of the Daily Mail remains the most-read newspaper with a weekly circulation of 1.47m. The weekday edition sells 784,439. Both the daily and Sunday editions saw a 9% year-on-year decline.

The biggest year-on-year decline was once again at The Sunday People, which fell by 19% to 101,597. The Daily Star Sunday was down 18% to 118,260.

September 2021

Reach's Sunday People and Sunday Post newspapers recorded the biggest year-on-year declines in circulation in September of the publicly-audited national newspapers.

Both saw their circulations decline by 19% while the Sunday Mirror, Daily Star Sunday and Sunday Mail all fell by 14%. All are owned by Reach.

The Financial Times was the only paid-for newspaper to grow its circulation year-on-year, by 7% to a total of 111,898. However its free bulk copies, distributed in locations such as airports and hotels, increased by 41% to 32,351. Although paid subscriptions grew by 130% to 9,102, newsstand copies were down by a quarter to 15,154. Some 55,291 copies are sold in other countries.

Aside from the free Metro and the FT, every other newspaper remained steady between August and September changing by between 0% and -2%.

August 2021

The i was the only national newspaper to grow its paid circulation from July to August as subscriptions growth offset declining newsstand sales.

The i's print subscriptions grew from 23,199 in July to 25,223 in August. At the same time it put out more paid multiple copies, known as bulks, in locations such as airports and hotels (rising from 4,006 to 4,620).

Its average circulation therefore grew from 143,486 to 144,570. However this was still 5% down on last August.

The August ABC figures are the first in which the Guardian and Observer are absent, having chosen to keep their circulations private as News UK and the Telegraph did last year.

The Guardian's departure from the grid comes after its circulation was overtaken by the Financial Times in June for the first time since before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Previously the audited circulation of the FT had been above that of the Guardian since 2000, the earliest available online ABC records.

The FT was again the only paid-for title to have grown year-on-year as it distributes bulk copies that were missing during the pandemic. It grew 12% year-on-year to 105,213 in August but fell by 2% from July.

The free Metro more than doubled its August 2020 figure following the end of the winter lockdown and the ramping up of its distribution to reach people increasingly venturing out again. It has now distributed an average of more than 1m copies per day for three months in a row.

July 2021

Putting on bulk copies has helped the FT to grow its circulation by nearly a quarter (24%) year-on-year while sales of The i paper have fallen by just 1% over the same period, new ABC figures for July show.

The FT sells more than 107,000 copies, of which more than 32,000 are bulks. The i, which is now part of the Daily Mail group, has a circulation of more than 143,000 copies, with some 4,000 bulks.

The free Metro's distribution was in excess of 1m in July 2021, nearly tripling its print output during the height of the pandemic.

All other newspapers audited by ABC reported a fall in year-on-year circulation. The Telegraph, Sun and Times titles are not included.

The Daily Mail has the largest paid-for circulation among the titles audited by ABC at more than 933,000. Its sister title the Mail on Sunday is behind on a little over 813,000 copies.

June 2021

Reach’s national Sunday titles continued to experienced the biggest year-on-year circulation drops in the industry in June.

The Sunday Post dropped by 16%, Daily Star Sunday was down 15%, Scottish tabloid Sunday Mail was down 14%, the Sunday People was down 13% and the Sunday Mirror by 11%. The Sunday Express was Reach’s best faring Sunday title, falling by 7%.

The best performance among paid-for newspapers was at the Financial Times which grew by 38% year-on-year and 5% month-on-month to 108,014.

As lockdown restrictions have eased the FT has put the number of bulk copies which go to locations like airports and hotels back up by 751% - from 3,534 to 30,093 – putting it on a similar level to June 2019 when 31, 057 bulk copies were distributed. The number of copies it sold in other countries was also up, although this was half 2019 levels.

No other paid-for newspapers grew month-on-month, and the i was the only other to grow year-on-year, although this could mainly be attributed to an increase in bulk distribution similar to the FT.

However the i's bulks remain, by contrast, far below 2019 levels - 50,250 in June 2019 versus 3,699 this year.

The Metro has continued putting its free distribution back up as lockdown restrictions continued to ease. It went up by 10% between May and June and 224% compared to last June, topping 1m on average.

By comparison its rival in London, the free Evening Standard, has decided to maintain its distribution at Covid levels and concentrate on online growth. It was distributing 492,406 copies on average in June.

Scroll down or click here for new graphs charting the ups and downs of the UK national press in the past 20 years – with a spotlight on how Covid-19 affected circulations in the past year.

May 2021

The Financial Times and the i were the only paid UK national newspapers to grow their circulations in May compared to last year – despite the first Covid-19 lockdown's severe impact on spring 2020 newsstand sales.

Both newspapers reported growth even when their bulk copies (those distributed for free at locations such as airports and hotels) are taken into account.

The i grew its circulation by 3% year-on-year excluding bulks to 140,721 or by 5% to 144,192 when bulks are included.

Meanwhile the FT grew by 2% to 77,218, excluding bulks, in May. Including bulks it was up 30% to 102,579.

Every other national newspaper saw an annual decline, with the smallest at the Daily Express, owned by Reach, which fell by 1% to 239,024.

May continued the trend of Reach’s Sunday titles experiencing the biggest year-on-year drops, however (scroll down or click here to see April's report).

Scotland’s Sunday Post and Sunday Mail were down 14% and 11% respectively. Nationally the Daily Star Sunday was down 12% and the Sunday Mirror and Sunday People were both down 7%.

In May last year most national newspapers began to recover after their circulations had been hit hard by the first five weeks of the Covid-19 lockdown.

Month-on-month, the FT (2%), i (1%) and the Guardian (0%) were the only paid-for titles not to see a dip. The biggest decline from April was at the Mail on Sunday (5%).

The ABC figures also demonstrated the impact of loosening Covid-19 restrictions on free newspapers as Metro and the Evening Standard increased their distributions by 190% and 9% respectively compared to May last year.

April 2021

Reach’s four Sunday titles – the Daily Star Sunday, Sunday Express, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People – were the only national titles to have a lower circulation in April than they did during the UK’s strictest Covid-19 lockdown one year earlier.

The rest of the UK’s national newspapers are back above the circulations of their worst Covid slump, which took place amid uncertainties about the future for the industry as the UK was told to stay at home at the start of the pandemic.

Despite its 7% annual decline, the Daily Star Sunday had the biggest month-on-month growth of 3%. Most paid-for titles were able to keep their April circulations similar to March, with a drop of -1% the largest nationally and of -2% at the Sunday Mail the biggest overall.

The Scottish title, which is also owned by Reach, was down year-on-year by 6% to 85,450.

Despite the declines at Reach's Sunday titles, its national dailies the Mirror and Express were up by 2% and 3% respectively compared to April last year.

The Financial Times grew by 13% year-on-year to 100,215 in April. However it has upped its number of free copies distributed at locations such as airports and hotels from 7,042 last April to 22,487 – excluding these, its circulation has decreased 5% to 77,728.

By contrast the i, the only other paper to include bulk free copies in its ABC audited circulation, was up by 7% if they are included (143,380) and 9% if they are not (140,013).

This equals the Observer, which was also up 9% compared to last April to reach 140,894 copies each week.

The i’s DMGT stablemates the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday were also both up by 4% and 5% respectively on last year. DMGT’s free title Metro has been “building back” its distribution, as editor Ted Young told Press Gazette last week, to reach an average of 805,471 per day in April. It then topped 1m on 17 May as lockdown restrictions eased.

The Evening Standard also increased its free distribution compared to last April, by 16% to 492,575. Chief executive Charles Yardley has told Press Gazette he is planning to keep numbers at around half a million going forward.

March 2021

Paid-for national newspaper circulations have fallen by almost a fifth (18%) on average since just before the first Covid-19 lockdown.

The final year-on-year comparison with pre-Covid ABC newspaper circulations shows the biggest declines have been at the i and Financial Times, which are both down by about a third to 143,204 and 100,781 respectively.

They are the only two paid-for ABC-audited titles continuing to distribute bulk copies to public locations such as airports. Excluding bulks, the FT’s circulation fell by 35% year-on-year and the i’s fell by 18%.

The smallest, and only single-digit, declines were at the Mail on Sunday and Observer which both saw their circulation fall by 9% in the past year to 867,077 and 142,277 respectively in March 2021.

ABC’s March 2020 report spanned 2 to 22 March, stopping before the first lockdown came into place – although many people began working from home and curtailing social gatherings from about a week earlier.

The Evening Standard’s free circulation is down by 29% to 494,364 compared to March last year. The newspaper’s chief executive Charles Yardley told Press Gazette this month he remains committed to print but will not raise the distribution back to pre-pandemic levels.

Free rival Metro has dropped its distribution by half to 695,444. It initially dropped by 70% in April last year and rose to a

The biggest-selling issue of a UK national newspaper remains the Daily Mail’s Saturday issue, which sold an average 1,588,164 copies each week last month compared to 1,699,891 in March last year.

February 2021

The Observer reported the smallest drop in print circulation among UK national newspapers in February – but this was still down by 9% on the year before.

The Observer, which had an average circulation of 140,920, was the only newspaper not to see a double-digit drop. The next smallest decline was the Mail on Sunday, which fell by 12% to 848,526.

Sister title the Daily Mail was the only publication to see month-on-month growth from January, up 1% to 964,825. It was 15% behind the 1,134,184 it had in February 2020 before the Covid-19 pandemic hit the UK.

However, the Daily Mail’s digital edition grew its average circulation by 4% from 94,171 in January to 98,107.

[Read more: See latest online audience data published by Pamco here]

In February free titles Metro and Evening Standard distributed 58% and 38% fewer copies respectively compared to the year before. Both are continuing to publish for key worker commuters although most people remain under a “stay at home” order, with the Standard also delivering to doorsteps in certain parts of London.

The biggest paid-for circulation drops in February were at the Financial Times (down 36%) and i (35%), the only two ABC-audited titles continuing to distribute bulk copies to public locations such as airports.

Excluding bulks, the FT was down 40% and the i was down 18% - taking it below the Daily Star’s 20% decline.

January 2021

The UK’s current coronavirus lockdown has not hit national newspaper circulations as hard as last year’s strict April restrictions did, according to new figures from ABC.

However, most titles are now again below the circulation levels to which they had begun to recover in May last year.

The Daily Mail’s print circulation has fallen to its lowest since the peak of the Covid-19 crisis in April.

The UK’s top-selling newspaper sold an average of 960,019 copies each day in January, an 18% drop year-on-year. In April it reported a circulation of 944,981, which grew to 979,836 in May.

The Mail overtook The Sun in May 2020 and Press Gazette understands it has since consolidated its lead.

Digital edition sales add a further 77,736 to the Mail's daily circulation figure, according to ABC - keeping it above 1m.

In March last year, before the first UK lockdown, the Mail was selling in excess of 1.1m copies per day.

Also below their May 2020 circulations were the Mail on Sunday, Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror, Daily Express, Daily Star, Sunday Express, Daily Star on Sunday, Sunday People, and the Guardian.

Only the Observer, i and Financial Times were above their May figures from last year in January.

Several national newspapers saw bigger year-on-year drops in January than the Mail: the FT’s circulation fell by 39%, the i by 35%, the Sunday Post by 22%, the Daily Star by 21%, the Daily Express by 19% and the Daily Mirror by 19%.

The smallest year-on-year drop was at the Observer, which saw a decline of 8% to a circulation of 143,764.

The biggest month-on-month fall from December was also at the FT (down by 8% to 97,067) followed by the Daily Star Sunday, i and Guardian which were all down by 5%.

The only title to report any growth was Scottish tabloid the Sunday Mail, which was up 1% month-on-month to 88,819.

Metro and the Evening Standard, which had their free commuter distribution models hit by the Covid-19 lockdowns, were down 58% and 39% respectively year on year in January.

December 2020

The Mail on Sunday reported the smallest drop in print circulation in December – but this was still down by 9% on the year before.

It had an average circulation of 954,497 in December 2019, down to 865,439 last month. It was the only newspaper not to see a double-digit year-on-year decline, with the Observer the second smallest drop (by 10% to 147,296).

The Financial Times saw its print circulation fall by more than a third (35%) year-on-year to 105,358 – the biggest fall among the UK’s paid-for national newspapers.

However, the FT did grow by 1% month-on-month as it continues to recover from the initial Covid-19 lockdown slump common to each of the titles.

The Guardian saw the biggest month-on-month growth of 2% in December.

The biggest fall from November 2020 was at the Sunday People, down 5% to 120,429.

Wales went into lockdown on 20 December while Scotland and Northern Ireland were placed under tight restrictions from Boxing Day and much of London and the south east of England entered strict Tier 4 restrictions days before Christmas.

Metro and the Evening Standard, which had their free commuter distribution models hit by the Covid-19 lockdowns, were still 45% and 38% down respectively on the previous year’s print readership.

November 2020

Several national newsbrands managed a month on month increase in print circulation in November, with The Observer seeing the biggest rise at 4%.

The Observer's print circulation rose from 145,680 to 152,129 having remained steady in the previous month.

The Sunday Express, the Sunday People and the Guardian also saw print sales rise 1%, after seeing declines between September and October

The Observer saw the smallest year-on-year decline at 5%. It was the only title not to report a double-digit year-on-year fall.

The Financial Times had the biggest paid-for decline (36% to 104,024) followed by the i (31% to 151,888).

Metro and the Evening Standard, which had their free commuter distribution models hit by the Covid-19 lockdowns, were still 46% and 40% down on the previous year's print readership.

October 2020

The Observer was the only national print newspaper brand not to see a year on year print circulation decline in October.

The Observer's print readership remained steady on 145,680 as every other title except the Mail on Sunday, which fell by 9%, reported a double-digit year-on-year decline.

The Financial Times had the biggest paid-for decline (39% to 105,592) followed by the i (31% to 151,888).

Metro and the Evening Standard, which had their free commuter distribution models hit by the Covid-19 lockdowns, were still 45% and 39% down on the previous year's print readership - although Metro managed to add a fifth back onto its output in October.

Press Gazette is hosting the Future of Media Technology Conference. For more information, visit NSMG.live

The post Newspaper ABCs: Sunday Mail in Scotland manages to hold off monthly decline in October appeared first on Press Gazette.

Express insiders are said to be deeply upset at the departure of editor-in-chief Gary Jones after six years in the job.

Reach confirmed the departure of Jones on Friday morning, saying he has stepped down. He had not been seen in the office for about two weeks before that, sending the rumour mill into overdrive.

Jones said in a statement: “It’s been a privilege to have served the readers for so many years. Long may they continue to value and cherish the journalism we publish.

“I have tried my level best to continue in the great campaigning traditions of the Mirror and Express and would like to offer my appreciation to the colleagues, politicians, organisations and individuals who have shared my passion for bringing positive change.

“I’ve had the greatest of times, and felt fortunate to have met and collaborated with some of the most fascinating, inspirational and creative people, who have hugely enriched my career and life.”

How Gary Jones rehabilitated the Express

Jones was appointed editor of the Daily Express in March 2018 following the title’s purchase by Reach and is credited with detoxifying the brand whilst remaining true to its Eurosceptic right-leaning readership.

Within months of his arrival campaign group Stop Funding Hate changed its stance on the Express after years of focusing its efforts on stopping advertisers from spending money with it, as well as the Daily Mail and The Sun. Stop Funding Hate supporters said it “should give credit where it’s due”.

Under the ownership of Richard Desmond, Express journalists had complained to the Press Complaints Commission and said they felt under pressure to write anti-gypsy articles. The paper was associated with Islamophobia and climate change denial and became notorious for front pages which rarely deviated from a menu of the Royals, diabetes breakthroughs, Brexit and the weather.

In 2020 the Express won the British Journalism Awards for campaigning journalism for its Time To End Cystic Fibrosis Drug Scandal campaign, which successfully fought for a life-saving deal between US pharmaceuticals firm Vertex and the NHS.

One Express insider said: “There are people alive today who would not be as a direct result of that campaign.”

In 2021 the paper launched a campaign to persuade the government to “lead the world revolution on green issues”.

When he took over as Express editor, after having previously worked for the Sunday Mirror and People, Jones compared it to switching football teams: “One minute you’re a Liverpool fan and the next you’re an Everton fan, so it’s a change of sides, but as far as I’m concerned I play for the team.”

Jones said he didn’t have a personal agenda as editor and believed it was more important to “give the readers what they want”.

Speaking to Press Gazette in 2021, he said: “I think we’ve come a long way. I grew up reading the Express as a child and it was really important to my parents: it was aspirational and a positive force in their lives.

“In the past the Express has had quite limited subject matter, it didn’t really broaden its appeal and I hope we’ve achieved that.”

The title’s current campaign, run with dame Esther Rantzen, for a new law to allow medically assisted dying for the terminally ill, has received widespread support in both houses of parliament.

And the title has also led the way on campaigning to protect winter fuel payments for pensioners.

Tom Hunt to succeed Gary Jones as Express editor-in-chief

Reach chief digital publisher David Higgerson said: “Gary has been a respected colleague over many years and has played a pivotal role in the legacy of this title, spearheading a period of crucial change when he took the helm. We all wish him well as he takes his next steps.”

Jones will be succeeded by former Express online editorial director Tom Hunt as editor-in-chief, effective immediately.

Hunt has been with the Express for more than eight years, with his other roles including video news editor, leading its first team dedicated to video, and head of news.

Hunt said: “I’m honoured to be taking on this role and to build on what the team has already achieved. In the last year, the Express has infiltrated Just Stop Oil, shown how TikTok and Instagram are aiding Albanian people smugglers, captured the effects of a new drug destroying lives on Britain’s streets, and exposed an ISIS terror plot to target Olympics and Wembley.

“The Express has an unparalleled understanding of its audience – our readers are amongst the most engaged across any news brand as we saw just last week with the incredible response to our Winter Fuel campaign.

“There is a huge opportunity here which I’m excited to take further, both digitally and in print, particularly as we cover Labour’s first months in office and see out a Conservative leadership contest.”

The Express website has seen a period of double-digit year-on-year growth in Press Gazette’s monthly analysis of the biggest UK news websites and currently sits at twelfth in the ranking.

Higgerson said: “During Tom’s time leading the Express’s online operation, he has overseen a period of impressive growth for the title, refreshing its editorial approach and cementing its loyal online audience.

“With his strong understanding of the digital landscape and passion for the brand, we know he’s the right person to take the Express into the next phase of its evolution.”

Hunt has announced Daily Express deputy editor Geoff Maynard as his deputy editor-in-chief, telling staff in an email that he will “expand his current role to work closely with me in creating one team to feed all the Express’s needs across print and digital”.

Fears of further cuts

Insiders fear further cuts to the editorial budget following the departure of Jones which comes just a few months after Mirror editor in chief Alison Phillips parted company with Reach (again after six years in charge).

Like Jones, who first joined the Mirror Group in 1996 and also edited The People and the Sunday Mirror, Phillips was hugely respected and liked within the newsroom.

Circulation of the Daily Express has fallen to around 140,000 copies per day, down from over 340,000 copies daily six years ago.

The title however remains profitable and sells for 40p more per day than its better-resourced rival the Daily Mail (which costs £1.10).

The Express titles share resources with other Reach nationals and also take content from the network of Reach regional titles. One well-placed source estimated the dedicated Daily Express and Sunday Express newspaper teams to be around 40 staff.

In July City AM announced a content sharing deal with Reach that means it is providing the business and financial news for many of Reach’s biggest news titles in print and online, including the Daily Express where the City & Business page now says “powered by City AM”. Former Daily and Sunday Express business editor Geoff Ho left that month.

Reach has slashed hundreds of staff over the past year, with 450 going in one restructure announced in November.

The post Gary Jones, editor credited with detoxifying Express, bows out appeared first on Press Gazette.

Most UK national newspapers have voted Labour in the 2024 general election with several previously Conservative-supporting newspapers switching allegiance in their endorsements.

Update: Daily Mail gracious in defeat as Fleet Street reacts to Labour landslide

Previously Conservative-supporting titles, including The Sun, Sunday Times and Financial Times, have backed Labour in their leader columns.

The Daily Star, which has previously remained neutral, also called for change on its election day front page.

As with the 1997 general election (when Labour’s Tony Blair won a landslide) The Times has not endorsed any political party (then it urged readers to vote for candidates who were against further integration with the EU).

Nigel Farage’s Reform UK and the Liberal Democrats have received no national newspaper endorsements.

When all the circulations of UK-wide daily and Sunday newspapers are added up and collated according to election endorsements, the results show Fleet Street evenly split between Labour, Conservatives and Neutral/Don’t Know with 1.9 million in terms of newspaper circulation backing each position.

While more national newspapers have voted Labour than Conservative, the support of the top-selling Mail titles plus the Telegraph and Express titles mean in circulation terms the result is a dead heat.

When non UK-wide titles like City AM, the Evening Standard and Daily Record are included the balance is tipped in favour of Labour.

The Labour Party's 2024 general election newspaper (and one magazine) endorsements:

Daily Star: Labour/Count Binface

"It seems nailed on that Labour and Sir Keir Starmer will walk to victory.

"To be honest, all he has had to do is not completely balls things up like his rivals. But what is clear is that it is absolutely time for a change.

"We thought Count Binface was probably the best option but we're willing to give this other fella and his party a chance too."

The Sun: Labour

The day before the general election The Sun teased its election day front page, which declared: "As Britain goes to the polls, it's time for a new manager (and we don't mean sack Southgate)".

The paper also published its leader column laying out its position, saying that although Rishi Sunak "has many policies which we support" the Conservatives "have become a divided rabble, more interested in fighting themselves than running the country...

"Put bluntly, the Tories are exhausted. They need a period in Opposition to unite around a common set of principles."

The Murdoch-owned title rejected Nigel Farage's Reform UK, dubbing it "a one-man band which at best can win only a handful of MPs" despite policies which it said had "struck a chord with millions".

"There are still plenty of concerns about Labour," the paper said, including its plans on immigration and its failure to clarify its tax position, "but, by dragging his party back to the centre ground of British politics for the first time since Tony Blair was in No10, Sir Keir has won the right to take charge.

"We will hold Labour to account, without fear or favour. But we wish them every success."

As with other right-leaning titles, it marks the first time The Sun has endorsed the Labour Party since 2005, the last time the party was led by Tony Blair.

The Evening Standard: Labour

The Evening Standard, which backed the Conservative Party in the 2010, 2015, 2017 and 2019 elections, reversed course the day before the 2024 election and endorsed the Labour Party.

The London freesheet said Rishi Sunak "has turned out to be a disappointing Prime Minister" while Keir Starmer had "relentlessly reformed Labour from a party under investigation by the Equality and Human Rights Commission over its handling of antisemitism to a plausible alternative government".

The paper sounded a warning over the possibility of a so-called 'supermajority' for Labour, saying the UK "needs a serious, sensible, centre-Right alternative".

But it concluded: "Ultimately, after 14 years in office, the Tories have earned the right to lose. It is clear that this city wants change and that you have probably already made your mind up that Labour can be that change."

The Sunday Times: Labour

Condemning the record of the Conservatives, The Sunday Times said in its leader column: "The period since 2016 has been defined by political chaos that has fatally distracted the political class from those issues that matter most to voters — healthcare, schools and the economy.

"Britain now needs a radical reset. If the Tories are due a period in opposition, that can only mean a Labour government. Starmer should be praised for hauling his party back into the mainstream."

Financial Times: Labour

The Financial Times said in its leader column: "We believe in liberal democracy, free trade and private enterprise, and an open, outward-looking Britain…

"The Labour party of Sir Keir Starmer is better placed today to provide the leadership the country needs…

"Much of the country hankers for a fresh start. Labour should be given the opportunity to provide it."

The Independent

Despite its name, The Independent does go in for election endorsements and this time it has backed Labour.

The online-only title said: "Labour promises change and offers hope. In Rachel Reeves, Sir Keir will have a chancellor seen as sound on the economy, who promises to keep a steady hand on the wheel of the nation’s finances, after the wild lane-changing of the brief – but immensely damaging – tenure of Ms Truss and Mr Kwarteng. We hope their mantra will be to be compensatory and not too confiscatory."

The Observer: Labour

The Observer signalled its backing for Labour with a front-page editorial saying voters have "a historic opportunity to evict one of the worst governments this country has ever endured".

The Guardian: Labour

The Guardian has endorsed Labour again, after supporting Jeremy Corbyn through gritted teeth in 2019 while acknowledging his "obdurate handling of the antisemitism crisis".

This time The Guardian's backing was less equivocal. The leader column on Friday 29 June, for publication in its Saturday print edition (the biggest sale of the week), said: "Labour has climbed out of the crater of its 2019 defeat, and it stands on the brink of power with some eye-catching policies.

"On the environment, workers’ rights and housebuilding, it signals a break with the past, and a very welcome desire to save capitalism from its failures and excesses. Its most popular policies are interventionist: banning junk food and creating a publicly owned green energy company. How refreshing to hear that government programmes and stronger trade unions make economies more productive and equitable."

The Economist: Labour

The Economist endorsed the Labour Party on Thursday 27 June, marking its first endorsement of the party since 2005.

The magazine said Labour "is right in its diagnosis that nothing matters more than solving Britain’s stagnant productivity" and that Keir Starmer "deserves credit" for breaking with the policies of predecessor Jeremy Corbyn, but criticised the leader for running "a maddeningly cautious campaign".

It likened making a case for the Conservative Party's virtues to "a teacher struggling to say something nice about the class troublemaker", claiming: "Rishi Sunak is a better prime minister than Liz Truss, though if praise came any fainter it would be invisible."

On the Liberal Democrats, the magazine said "the logic that led us to endorse them in 2019 no longer holds". In 2019, it argued, the Lib Dems were the better option compared with "Boris Johnson's Brexit-obsessed Tories and Labour under Jeremy Corbyn, a hard-left charisma vacuum".

The Economist endorsed the Lib Dems in both the 2017 and 2019 elections and David Cameron's Tories in 2010 and (as a coalition with the Lib Dems) in 2015. It endorsed Tony Blair's Labour in 2001 and 2005 — but not 1997, when he won his first, landslide victory.

Daily Record: Labour

Scotland's Daily Record has announced it is asking its readers to vote Labour after not explicitly backing any single party at a general election since 2010 (when it also endorsed Labour).

It said in a major front page splash on Tuesday 25 June: "This election is not about independence. It's about poverty, spiralling mortgages, soaring bills, the cost of living crisis, a crashed economy, dodgy contracts, broken public services, a failed Brexit, Partygate. It's about kicking this vile and corrupt Conservative government out of office."

In a leader column, the Reach-owned Record said readers should vote tactically in some areas though: "The exceptions are the seats in the north-east and south of Scotland where the Tories and the SNP are in a two-horse race.

"Labour is not strong in these regions and a vote for the SNP is the best way to topple the Tories.

"This is particularly true in the Aberdeenshire North and Moray East seat where we hope the SNP candidate defeats Douglas Ross.

"But ultimately this General Election is not about the SNP. Many Scots continue to support independence but the election on July 4 will not deliver this political outcome."

Daily Mirror: Labour

The Daily Mirror declared itself early for Labour, writing in a "Voice of the Mirror" editorial published on Friday 24 May that "the new generation needs a Labour government more than ever".

The editorial, which accompanied an interview with Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner in Saturday's Mirror, said that "there are many reasons why we need Labour to win on July 4 but chief among them must be the chance to secure a better future for our children.

"As Angela Rayner tells the Mirror, most young people have only known life under the Tories. They deserved so much better. The Conservatives have stood by as more and more children are brought up in poverty.

"They didn’t recruit enough teachers and cut funds for one-to-one tuition and music lessons. Tens of thousands are being taught in buildings which are falling apart because they cancelled Labour’s rebuilding programme.

"And when Covid struck, Rishi Sunak refused funds to help kids catch up on lost learning. The Tories have robbed too many children of the chance to fulfil their potential. That’s why this generation needs a Labour government more than ever."

The Mirror is an avowedly Labour-leaning newspaper, disclosing on its website that it "has backed the Labour Party in every election since 1945".

Sunday Mirror: Labour

The Sunday Mirror said: "Britain deserves change after 14 years of chaotic Tory rule."

The Conservative Party's 2024 general election newspaper endorsements

Daily Telegraph: Conservative

The Telegraph's endorsement of the Conservatives was published online less than three hours after Sunak announced the election date on Wednesday 22 May.

The newspaper said: "The unarguable truth facing voters is that they face a straight choice between Sir Keir and Mr Sunak. It is similarly unarguable that a Labour government might well bring change, but it will not be of the good kind.

"Labour would tax more, regulate more, be weaker in defence of the national interest and be far more relaxed about mass migration and the excesses of green ideologues.

"The Tories can hardly claim that their own record is unblemished in any of these areas. But the party must now pull together behind the Prime Minister and hammer home the message that the situation will be much worse if Sir Keir enters No 10."

Although The Daily Telegraph's print front page the day after the announcement splashed on the pun "Things can only get wetter" in reference to Sunak's speech in the rain with the New Labour anthem "Things Can Only Get Better" blaring in the background, the front page analysis nonetheless maintained his "message came across loud and clear".

Election night 2024: How broadcasters plan to report results

Mail on Sunday: Conservative

The Mail on Sunday has given the Tories its full-throated support. Its last pre-election front page led with the headline: "Rishi warning: Starmer will wreck Britain in just 100 days".
In a full-page leader column, the title admitted the current Conservative government has been an "unsatisfactory and disappointing administration" but it said Labour would be "much worse" and so urged its readers to "vote Conservative on Thursday".

Sunday Express: Conservative

The Sunday Express led on Rishi Sunak's claim: "Starmer to 'wreck Britain in 100 days". Despite its previous strong back for Brexit, the title warned readers against voting Reform in a full-page leader column because "you will be helping Labour candidates".

It warned that a big majority for Keir Starmer would give him a "free rein to transform Britain into a socialist state, with higher taxes, more regulations and closer links to the European Union".

It said: "If you have any doubt he is the right person, the only sensible option is to vote Conservative"

Sunday Telegraph: Conservative

The Sunday Telegraph also gave its last pre-election front page to the Conservatives with the headline: Labour will bankrupt every generation, warns Sunak".

Its leader column focused on Labour's shortcomings, rather than Conservative achievements noting its "vindictive assault on private education", adding: "Labour is the party of cancellation, culture wars and decolonisation". It urged its readers to vote Conservative because Labour would be "dramatically worse" than the Tories.

Daily Express: Conservative

On election day the Daily Express published a full-throttle front-page (and online) backing of the Conservatives.

It said: "Today is a day of reckoning. The Conservative Party faces a punishing pounding at the ballot box. We believe Labour's unchecked power would diminish this great country of ours. Your frustration that not enough has been done to protect traditional Tory values is understandable. And it is, of course, your inalienable right to use your vote as a protest though the price might be very high. That is why we will continue carrying the torch of Conservatism until it is burning bright again. In the nation's interest we urge you to... vote Tory."

Other 2024 election endorsements

City AM: Anyone but the Conservatives

City AM said in its leader column: "...for now, it is hard to conclude anything other than this: this government is out of energy, out of ideas, and should, therefore, be out of office.

"Does this mean a full-throated endorsement of Keir Starmer’s Labour? That is, unfortunately, beyond us."

The Times: Don't know

In a leader article published just in time for the election, The Times said: "This newspaper wants the next government to succeed, and it will not be ungenerous in praise if that is the case. But Labour has yet to earn the trust of the British people."

Metro: Neutral

Metro's front page on 4 July was thoroughly neutral, with a graphic stating "Britain goes to the polls" and headline that "the nation decides" although the sub-head added: "But top Tory admits Labour 'likely to win'."

The website also played it straight although it had an ad takeover on election day from the Labour Party urging people to "vote Labour today".

The i: Neutral

DMGT-owned the i's front page on polling day made its neutrality clear, telling readers it is "over to you".

It said: "Only one UK national newspaper has never supported a political party - and never will. The i paper = politics without the spin."

And editor Oly Duff told readers: "No one gets an easy ride. Not the Tories, Labour or Nigel Farage. We are funded by readers [through subscriptions and newsstand sales], so we are free to investigate anyone we like. We are not in the pocket of any media owner or special interest, so we can tell you what’s really going on. That’s why we have one of the highest trust ratings in UK media."

The post General election 2024 endorsements: Most of Fleet Street votes Labour appeared first on Press Gazette.

National press coverage of the British general election has so far been even-handed, according to Press Gazette analysis of front page bias.

Press Gazette looked at every national newspaper front page published since Rishi Sunak called a general election (23 May to 16 June inclusive).

The purpose of the research was to deduce political bias by making a judgement as to whether the choice and presentation of front-page stories was favourable or unfavourable to the Conservative party. Historically, UK national newspapers have leaned to the right overall.

At this halfway point of the campaign, any pro-Tory bias in the national press overall has failed to materialise. This contrasts with national press coverage in the run-up to the referendum on Britain leaving the EU in 2016 when press coverage was overwhelmingly pro-Brexit.

Of the 246 front pages we looked at 56 were judged to be positive for Rishi Sunak, 57 negative for him and 132 were neutral.

Only the Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph and Daily Express have been overwhelmingly positive for the Conservatives in their choice and portrayal of front-page stories.

The Sun, which has been Conservative-supporting since 2009, appears to have deserted Sunak's party.

The title has yet to reveal its general election endorsement, but front-page coverage has largely ignored the general election altogether. The two front pages that were about the election were split, with one positive and one negative for Sunak and his party.

This contrasts with the Daily Mirror which published general election stories 12 times on its front page during the period under review, all of which were positive for Labour/negative for the Conservatives.

The Times and FT tend to occupy the centre ground politically but both published considerably more negative front-page stories for the Conservatives than positive ones in the period under review. This may reflect the fact that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has simply faced more bad news.

Front-page Times headlines judged to be negative for Rishi Sunak have included: "Farage's return and new poll deal blow to Sunak", "Mordaunt hits out at 'completely wrong' PM" and "Gove quits politics as more Tories stand down".

In March Press Gazette published analysis showing the diminishing power of national newspapers to influence elections today compared with 1992, when The Sun claimed credit for John Major's surprising UK general election win for the Conservatives.

The three strongly pro-Conservative titles (Daily Express, Daily Telegraph and Daily Mail) have a combined print circulation of around one million copies per day, a figure which rises to at least 1.5 million on Saturdays. The remaining daily newspapers, which are either neutral or pro-Labour in their choice of front-page stories, have a combined circulation of around 1.9 million.

There have been four editions of Sunday newspapers since the general election was called. Only The Sunday Telegraph and The Observer have showed front-page bias one way or the other, with The Sunday Telegraph favouring the Conservatives and The Observer favouring Labour.

So far only two national newspapers have revealed UK general election endorsements for 2024: The Telegraph has backed the Conservatives and the Daily Mirror is backing Labour.

The post Has Rishi Sunak already lost support of The Sun? Press general election bias tracked appeared first on Press Gazette.

Press Gazette has spoken to two journalists who played a crucial role in the exposure of Britain’s biggest medical scandal.

Sue Douglas was a 26-year-old health reporter when she risked her career with the May 1983 front-page story for the Mail on Sunday that first brought the scandal to national attention.

And Sunday Times political editor Caroline Wheeler has spoken of her 24 years campaigning on the issue and the crucial role her paper played in finally securing the public inquiry, which reported last month and held the medical establishment to account on behalf of the estimated 30,000 victims (around 3,000 of whom have lost their lives).

Over the last 40 years there were campaigns by The Sunday Times (in the 1980s) and the Daily Express (in the late 2010s) and widespread coverage elsewhere in the media. But these two journalists did as much as anyone to ensure the UK Government finally took responsibility for an avoidable and catastrophic medical disaster.

Douglas concealed her identity in first conversations with whistleblower

Douglas (pictured above, left), told Press Gazette how concealed the fact she was a journalist to help secure her initial expose and why she fears the same story might not get told today.

Concerns about infected human blood plasma being imported to the UK were circulating in specialist medical circles in early 1983 but had yet to become a major story.

Douglas joined the Mail on Sunday from specialist doctors’ magazine MIMS in 1982 after studying physiology and biochemistry at university. The newly-launched Mail on Sunday was then edited by Stewart Steven who was keen to establish the title with some hard-hitting investigations.

Fellow medical journalist Lorraine Fraser supplied Douglas with medical papers on the issue from The Lancet and put her in touch with a potential whistleblower, the head of haematology at a major hospital. Douglas posed as a haematologist herself to discuss concerns about infected blood with the source.

She said: “At that stage I thought that it was ill-advised to scare the the horses. So I said that I was really interested in the issue, I’d heard him speaking at this conference and could he and I discuss it further? I didn’t tell him I was a journalist.

“We talked a lot about the gathering concerns in the scientific community about the contamination of blood that we were using to save lives.”

Douglas subsequently explored the issue further with colleagues on the Mail on Sunday, speaking to more political and medical sources, and discovered there was a possible solution, sourcing heat-treated blood at greater expense.

Before running the story Douglas called her contact to explain that she was in fact a journalist.

“I read him the whole piece and there was a long silence. I said, ‘so is everything correct?’

“‘Yes.’

“I said, ‘are you happy that I run it?’

“And obviously he wasn’t happy because he was going to be in some considerable danger for his own job.”

But the source agreed to publication as long as his anonymity was protected.

The story, under the headline “Hospitals using killer blood”, revealed that blood imported to the UK from America was infected by the then little-known AIDS virus putting thousands of lives at risk. It revealed that two Britons had already been infected with the then-deadly virus as a result of receiving blood transfusions as part of their treatment for haemophilia.

Mail on Sunday dubbed ‘sensational’ and ‘inaccurate’

The Mail on Sunday faced a backlash from doctors who feared its story would prompt a panic and lead haemophiliacs to avoid blood plasma treatment.

Dr Peter Jones, director of Newcastle Haemophilia Centre, made a formal complaint to the Press Council (the body then overseeing press standards) over the Mail on Sunday report describing it as “sensational and highly exaggerated” and “neither objective or accurate”. He also accused Douglas of “appalling ineptitude”.

The complaint was upheld with the Press Council ruling that the paper used “used extravagant and alarmist terms not justified by the evidence”. Douglas believes the sensationalist front page headline was justified given the seriousness of the story.

“I was frightened, you know, 25 or 26 years old and the editor called me and said the Press Council are calling for me to sack you because you’ve been irresponsible.”

Other titles were initially reluctant to follow the story up because of the complaints and subsequent Press Council ruling. But Douglas recalls: “The management backed me because they believed in the story.”

Despite the MoS investigation, the UK government dragged its feet over sourcing safer, but more expensive, heat-treated blood plasma and infected blood stock continued to be sold around the world.

Douglas said: “Looking back on it, it should have happened much faster and in a genuinely free press, probably things would have moved more quickly.”

Does Douglas believe the Infected Blood Inquiry would have happened without the actions of journalists? “No, and by the way, I think it can happen again and again. With the public inquiry there is a sense of relief that there is an ending. But it’s not an ending because it could happen again.”

Citing the example of the now withdrawn Pfizer Covid vaccine, she said: “Do we know really what the long-term effects were of that particular vaccine for people who could have suffered undue blood clotting? No, we still don’t know.

“But I’m sure the medical research exists, where’s the transparency on that?”

Douglas went on to become editor of the Sunday Express and hold senior executive positions at Conde Nast and Trinity Mirror (now called Reach).

Asked how she feels about the future of tabloid investigations like the one which launched her career she said: “I don’t think the revenue model really is there anymore. People expect to have content for nothing…

“The other thing is, do they even exist? If you look at Mail Online now it’s largely clickbait. It’s quite often stuff that, does it matter very much, I don’t know? There are very few investigative stories anywhere and they cost a lot of money.

“When I was on The Sunday Times Insight team we would get something like 17 page leads per annum, a lot of dead ends and two, if you were lucky, big, big front-page stories that would run.”

She added: “People think that social media is an answer and that we can all generate content, but nobody actually acts on any of that. You have to stand up at some point and make a big deal, which is why I really will always believe in the tabloid press.”

Caroline Wheeler’s 23 years reporting on the infected blood scandal

Sunday Times political editor Caroline Wheeler first began reporting on the infected blood scandal 23 years ago when she was working on the Sunday Mercury newspaper in Birmingham aged 21.

A man called Mick Mason called her up to say he had been infected with hepatitis C and HIV via a blood transfusion and had been warned that he may also have contracted the deadly brain disease CJD.

She said: “I had to go away and look through the archive to understand what he had been telling me and everything turned out to be true. It began an interest which I have taken to every paper I’ve been working with since.”

Last month Wheeler was sat next to Mason in the House of Commons gallery and both were close to tears as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak issued his apology to the victims of the scandal. He described the publication of the Infected Blood Inquiry report as a “day of shame for the British state”.

She is pictured below with another victim and one of her many sources for the story, Ade Goodyear.

Wheeler continued reporting on the issue whilst working as a lobby correspondent for a group of regional newspaper titles which are now in the National World stable. She joined the Sunday Express as political editor in 2014 and helped launch a new infected blood scandal campaign for the paper.

She said: “It started with the story of Treloar’s, the school where children were infected with hepatitis C and HIV through contaminated blood that they received as part of a series of medical experiments.

“It was the first time in a long time journalists had gone back after the original scandal in the mid-1980s and documented the sheer scale of the loss of life at this stage.

“In 2014 we could report that scores of those schoolchildren had died. In fact of 122 haemophiliacs that attended that school from 1975 onwards, only 30 of them are still alive today.”

Around the time of the 2015 UK general election, Wheeler worked closely with Labour MP Diana Johnson to campaign for political parties to put in a manifesto commitment to support a public inquiry into the blood scandal.

The Liberal Democrats were the first to agree and by the time Theresa May had called the 2017 general election all the opposition parties with parliamentary seats supported a public inquiry including (crucially) the DUP who would hold the balance of power in a subsequent hung parliament. It was around this time that Wheeler moved to The Sunday Times as deputy political editor (she was promoted to political editor in 2021).

She said: “About a week after the election result I bumped into Diana Johnson walking across Portcullis House and we started talking about what to do with the campaign next. I mentioned casually that it’s quite significant the DUP have now backed a public inquiry and does that mean we’ve got a majority of party leaders and a majority of MPs that might support a public inquiry?

“We came up with this plan to get a letter signed by the leaders of the parties that supported a public inquiry and it ended up making about 400 words on page four of The Sunday Times.”

The letter prompted speaker John Bercow to suggest Johnson apply for an emergency debate on the issue.

“And about two hours before the debate was due to take place, I got a message to call Downing Street which was unusual because normally they just, you know, call me on my mobile phone.

“But I called and I got put through to the prime minister’s press secretary who said ‘well done – two weeks into your new job at The Sunday Times, you’ve got your public inquiry. The Prime Minister is going to announce it in a couple of hours’ time’.”

‘The proudest moment of my career’

Wheeler added: “I think that was really the proudest moment of my political career. It was the moment where the hair stood up on the back of my neck and I couldn’t really believe it was happening because we just never had felt that we were ever getting that close.

“It felt like there had been quite a lot of howling into the wind and a lot of people that had kind of decided that this issue had been put either in the too difficult box or in the not going to happen box. And to finally get this public enquiry was unbelievable.”

The inquiry opened in 2018 and finally reported its findings last month listing a catalogue of failures including the government waiting until the end of 1985 to heat-treat blood products in order to eliminate HIV, long after the Mail on Sunday highlighted the risks.

Asked whether the Infected Blood Inquiry would have happened without the actions of journalists, Wheeler said: “I always think it’s a wonderful thing when you get a kind of real partnership between newspapers and politicians.

“The establishment and Westminster are to blame for so much of what went wrong. But I think it would be wrong to conflate that and not see that actually there there is still a role for really good campaigning in our parliamentary democracy. And in this particular instance there was this wonderful coalition between the campaigners, the politicians and the journalists that really pushed this up the hill.

“It does show that there is still a role for really good campaigning journalism.”

‘Good journalism can still make a difference’

Wheeler emphasised that she “stands on the shoulders of giants” in terms of the work done by journalists before her, highlighting the work done by Margarette Driscol who worked on the Forgetten Victims campaign for The Sunday Times along with reporter John Davison under editor Andrew Neil. It helped to secure improved compensation payouts for victims and their families.

Wheeler said: “I absolutely pay tribute to all of those people that have been involved because I think it’s been a massive team effort. It’s a moment where we can take some pride as journalists that good journalism still can make a difference.”

But why, as with the Post Office Scandal, has it taken so long after all this campaigning journalism began for the infected blood scandal victims to secure justice?

“In the 1980s and indeed the 1990s there was a real intransigence in government to want to do anything about this. The feeling amongst consecutive governments was that they didn’t want to pick up the tab for this particular disaster.

“We’ve got front page after front page after front page and I think what happened was the government just inched forward.”

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The UK’s national newspapers in print now cost on average 13% more than they did one year ago after continued cover price increases.

The cover price on the newsstands of a daily newspaper grew by 15% on average between January 2023 and the start of January 2024. Saturday and Sunday newspapers were each up by an average of 12%.

By comparison, official consumer price inflation in the UK was at 4.2% in the year to November 2023.

Subscription costs for paywall news websites in the UK rose by 20% over the last year, Press Gazette research has found. Publishers may be seeking more reader revenue to make up for plunging online advertising revenue.

Online ad revenue fell last year for most news publishers as they have faced falling referral traffic from Google and Facebook and challenges charging a premium for advertising as tech platforms have increasingly supported anonymous browsing.

It would now cost £144.80 to buy a copy of every UK national newspaper on each day for one week, compared to £129.85 one year ago.

(Press Gazette’s comparison is for the main UK-wide national newspapers, excluding – for instance – the Scotland-based Sunday Mail and Daily Record).

In January 2014, before the closure of the print version of The Independent and The Independent on Sunday, the cost would have been £83.85, meaning a jump in price of 73% in a decade (including the extra cost of buying the now defunct Independent titles). This compares to a 32% in retail prices in the UK over that period (according to the Bank of England).

Several publishers most recently put up their prices to help mitigate continually rising production costs at the start of the New Year. DMGT’s Mail and i titles saw an increase from 30 December, Reach implemented price rises from 1 January and Guardian News and Media put up all its prices by 20p from 6 January.

The price increases also mitigate against falling circulation volumes as fewer copies are shifted on the newsstands. The newspapers that still publicly report their circulation with ABC saw an average decline of 69% between November 2013 and November 2023 (the latest figures available). The biggest circulation decline in that decade is the Sunday People, down 84%, with the smallest at the Financial Times, down 54%.

The biggest price rise in the past year in percentage terms was The Sun, up 25% from 80p to £1, followed by The Guardian and The Sunday Telegraph, both up 20% from £2.50 to £3.

In cash terms the biggest price increases were of 50p: at the Saturday edition of The Times, The Sunday Times, all editions of The Guardian and The Observer, and the Saturday and Sunday editions of The Telegraph.

The smallest percentage increase was at The Mail on Sunday, up 5% from £2 to £2.10, followed by The Daily Telegraph (from £2.80 to £3) and the i Weekend (from £1.50 to £1.60) both up 7%.

Other than the i Weekend, the smallest 10p rise also took place at the i’s weekday edition, all editions of the Mail, and the weekday Daily Star.

The most expensive newspapers have not changed since last year: the FT Weekend leads the way on £5.10 (up 6% from £4.80) followed by Saturday editions of The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph plus The Observer and The Sunday Times, all up 14% from £3.50 to £4.

The weekday editions of The Daily Star and the i are now the cheapest Fleet Street newspapers, at 90p each up 13% from 80p last year. The Sun saw a bigger growth from 80p to £1, putting it joint with the Daily Mail, which increased from 90p last year.

The FT Weekend remains the only UK newspaper to cost more than the average pint of draught lager (£4.69 in November). Every newspaper costs more than a pint of milk, according to average ONS price data.

On a weekday, it would cost £18.90 to buy every Fleet Street daily – The Times, Daily Telegraph, Guardian, the i, Financial Times, Daily Mail, Daily Express, Daily Mirror, The Sun and the Daily Star – from a newsagent, up 11% from £17 a year earlier. In 2014 the dailies (excluding The Independent which closed in 2016) together cost £9.20, meaning a rise in the past decade of 105%.

It would cost £26.60 to buy every Saturday edition of the national newspapers - The Times, The Guardian, The Telegraph, FT Weekend, i Weekend, Daily Mail, Daily Express, Daily Mirror, The Sun and the Daily Star - each week, up 12% from £23.75 last year. A decade ago the total price would be £13.05 (excluding The Independent), meaning the Saturdays have also doubled in price in ten years as a group.

It would cost £23.70 to buy every Sunday newspaper - The Sunday Times, The Observer, The Sunday Telegraph, The Mail on Sunday, Sunday Express, Sunday Mirror, Sunday People, The Sun on Sunday and the Daily Star Sunday - up 12% from £21.10 last year and up 70% in a decade from £14 (excluding The Independent on Sunday).

The table below shows all the data we used to show the cover prices between 2013 and 2024:

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Talented former Sunday Express journalist Ian Fletcher has died after a long illness aged 79.

Friends and colleagues paid tribute to “Fletch”, as he was affectionately known in the newsrooms he graced over a long and distinguished career.

Fletcher began his career at the Prescot & Huyton Reporter, part of the South Lancashire Newspapers group, in his native Liverpool before joining the Manchester office of the Sunday Express, where he worked for ten years.

He also worked on the Daily Mail before joining Today, the first computerised and colour newspaper launched by Eddie Shah in 1986.When the title closed in 1995, Fletcher became a freelance consumer journalist, providing copy to daily and Sunday newspapers for more than 25 years.

He was diagnosed with leukaemia 12 years ago but until last month continued to work, play table tennis and enjoy walking holidays in the Lake District. He was still delighting news desks with his regular calls to offer crisp, readable copy until a month before his death.

Fletcher died at the Duchess of Kent Hospice in Reading, Berkshire, on 22 August.

Sunday Express editor David Wooding said: “Ian is remembered as a brilliant story-getter but he was also a mentor and friend to many journalists and will be very sadly missed.

“He could spot a news story a mile off and turn his hand to reporting on any event with his unique mix of hard work, tenacity, compassion and razor-sharp wit.

“Most of all he was a huge inspiration to young journalists, who benefited from his inspiration and experience.”

Former Express man Roger Tavener added: “Fletch was proof one could still be a good bloke, bristling with humanity and a huge smile, while doing a difficult job under immense pressure.”

Fletcher leaves a widow, Eileen, two sons, Mark and Adrian, and four grandchildren, Mae, Nina, Theo and Anna.

The funeral will be at St Paul’s Church, Wokingham, on 8 September at 3pm.

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IPSO has said rapped the Sunday Express over a report claiming that “two thirds of asylum seekers who claimed to be unaccompanied children were found to be over 18”.

The press regulator said this was “misleading and distorted the Home Office data” cited in the article in its ruling that the newspaper had breached Clause 1 (accuracy) of the Editors’ Code of Practice.

The offending article from July was headlined: “Asylum ‘children’ actually over 18.” The online headline read: “Two thirds of asylum seekers who claimed to be children were found to be over 18.”

The article went on to say that between January 2021 and March 2022 “the Home Office [had] resolved 2,520 cases after it suspected someone who claimed to be an unaccompanied child was actually an adult – 1,626 (65 per cent) of them were found to be 18 or over”. The story also claimed that “more than half of those claiming to be unaccompanied children from the start of 2018 were actually adults”.

Jonathan Portes, an economics professor at King’s College London, complained about the article, pointing out that the Home Office figures cited only covered cases in which the government had disputed the age reported by the asylum seeker.

Between January 2021 and March 2022 there were 1,766 unaccompanied children claiming asylum whose ages were not in doubt – meaning the overall proportion of unaccompanied children found to actually be adults was approximately 36%. Similarly, that proportion for the period between January 2018 and March 2022 was 20%, not greater than 50% as the Sunday Express had reported.

IPSO said in its ruling: “In the context of an article about migration and asylum, misrepresenting publicly available figures that suggested that the proportion of unaccompanied child asylum seekers was higher than was actually the case was considered significant…”

It also said that giving more detailed information about the figures in the body of the article was “not sufficient to rectify the misleading impression already given by the headline. The publication of the headline and sub-headline amounted to a clear failure by the newspaper to take care not to publish misleading or distorted information…”

The Sunday Express published clarifications in print and online just under a month after publication explaining the missing information and providing the revised percentages but IPSO ruled nonetheless that the paper had breached Editors’ Code standards governing corrections because they even though they were “sufficiently prominent” they were not “sufficiently prompt”.

The complaints committee also found that the wording of the corrections did not meet required standards “as they did not identity, and then correct, the significancy inaccuracies within both versions of the article”.

IPSO said that the Sunday Express should publish a correction, which was made online on Wednesday 7 December.

Portes wrote on Twitter that the original story’s author had, “to be fair, admitted quickly that the headline and his tweet were untrue”, but: “The Express, however, while accepting that they’d got it wrong, offered a weasel-worded and pathetic excuse for a correction, which I rejected and ISPO rightly found to be inadequate.”

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