Independent on Sunday political editor Tom McTague has joined the European branch of US politics site Politico following the newspaper’s final print edition.
A memo to staff from Politico Europe executive editor Matt Kaminski said McTague would become the site’s chief UK political correspondent.
He wrote: “As our political reporters in Paris, Brussels and Berlin do, Tom has a dual mandate. It is to cover his capital as a political ‘village’, regularly breaking news, bringing to life its personalities and various turf battles, in a way that makes us a must-read for our core audience there.
“And secondly it is to report on Britain for a wider European and global audience, often working with colleagues across the continent to connect the dots in ways that no other publication can.”
McTague was announced as the replacement for Jane Merrick in the Independent on Sunday’s political editor role in October. He had previously worked at Mail Online, where he was deputy political editor, and the Mirror.
His Politico role is one of the first confirmed new roles for senior journalists at the Independent titles who are expected to leave following the decision to go online only. Last weekend’s Independent on Sunday was the last in print, while the daily will print its final edition on Saturday.
About 25 new roles are being created at the Independent’s digital operation, while some 34 are transferring with the i newspaper to new owner Johnston Press. However, more than 100 are expected to be made redundant.
Politico’s European operation, launched last April, has chosen to recruit a number of staff from traditional media outlets. Its media correspondent, Alex Spence, is the former media editor of the Times, and its staff include former Reuters, Bloomberg and Wall Street Journal staff.
