Britain’s George Osborne to edit London’s Evening Standard newspaper

George Osborne, who lost his job as British finance minister after the EU referendum in June, was appointed editor of London’s Evening Standard, the newspaper’s owner Evgeny Lebedev said on Friday.

“I am proud to have an editor of such substance, who reinforces The Standard’s standing and influence in London,” Lebedev tweeted.

“And whose political viewpoint - socially liberal and economically pragmatic - closely matches that of many of our readers.”

Osborne, who remains a lawmaker, joined investment group BlackRock Inc as an advisor last month.

“I am proud to be a Conservative MP, but as editor and leader of a team of dedicated and independent journalists, our only interest will be to give a voice to all Londoners,” Osborne said in a statement.

“We will be a fearless paper fighting for their interests.”

Osborne, 45, became Britain’s youngest finance minister in more than 100 years when he was appointed in 2010. He argued that Britain needed to cut spending and was a prominent campaigner for Britain to remain in the European Union.

Osborne, who has little experience in journalism, said he would judge what the government, London’s politicians and political parties do against a simple test: is it good for our readers and good for London?

“If it is, we’ll support them,” he said. “If it isn’t, we’ll be quick to say so.”

He will take over from editor Sarah Sands, who is leaving to edit the BBC’s flagship news radio program Today in early May.