John McGurk is quitting as editor of The Scotsman on 23 June for what is believed to be a top editorial management post at the Telegraph Group.
It is understood that Edinburgh-born McGurk, 53, will replace Lawrence Sear as managing editor of the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph. For The Scotsman editorial staff, it will mean their ninth new editor in 10 years.
McGurk’s expected recruitment would be the third raid of top editorial executives from Scotsman Publications by Telegraph Group owners Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay since they sold Scotsman Publications to Johnston Press for £160m.
Former Scotland on Sunday editor Iain Martin, 35, who also edited The Scotsman for three years, is now an assistant editor at the Sunday Telegraph. The Scotsman’s political editor, Fraser Nelson, recently moved to The Spectator as associate editor, and has since become political editor of the weekly. The Telegraph Group declined to comment and said Sear’s leaving date was not yet finalised.
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