Metro editor-in-chief Deborah Arthurs has stepped down from the business as staff were told “radical change” is needed to get it on a sustainable footing.
Executive editor of the free daily newspaper Richard Hartley-Parkinson has also left with immediate effect.
Former Metro editor Ted Young is rejoining the publisher on a three-month interim basis to oversee the newsroom while a wider operational review is carried out.
Staff have been told details on a proposed new editorial structure will be shared by the end of this month and a consultation process over any job changes will then take place.
Metro has been undergoing a “thorough review” since it transferred from Mail publisher DMG Media to Harmsworth Media, which also includes New Scientist and The i Paper, in June. Both entities are subsidiaries of parent company of Lord Rothermere’s DMGT.
At the time, Lord Rothermere said the changes were needed “to help our news brands achieve their growth ambitions”.
Staff were told in a memo on Monday seen by Press Gazette: “The media landscape is undergoing seismic changes affecting all publishers, but in particular those funded by advertising.
“The goal of the review is to put Metro back on a sustainable footing, as the current structure is no longer aligned with the economic realities of our market.
“Securing Metro’s future will require radical change that reimagines how we operate and what areas we focus on.”
The areas of the review include “content strategy, editorial structure and processes (both print and digital)”.
The memo cited as areas for future growth “new media, newsletters and advertising partnerships”.
DMG New Media, which launched last year, produces creator-led social video content for Metro and Metro Entertainment channels and other brands including the Daily Mail, Mail Sport and specialist accounts like The Spotlight also covering entertainment.
The review will also cover how to grow revenue, with the memo indicating a plan for “expanding and investing in our sales team”.
It also mentioned print circulation and “realigning the distribution of our paper to the areas with highest demand”. In January 2026, the last available figures, Metro had an average daily print circulation of 952,483 across the UK.
Arthurs became editor of Metro.co.uk in 2014 and took over the print newspaper when she became editor-in-chief in 2023 when Young departed.
At the time Young, who spent eight years as editor, said Metro “continues to run at a financial loss that is in no way sustainable” following the Covid-19 pandemic, the cost of living crisis, advertising “in the doldrums” due to the Ukraine war, bus and rail strikes, and increases in newsprint, fuel and ink costs”. Since leaving Metro, Young has been editorial director at news and picture agency Cover Media.
Hartley-Parkinson has spent 12 years at Metro, with previous roles including acting editor, deputy editor and assistant editor.
The memo to staff said: “Together, Deborah and Richard have dedicated a combined 40 years of exceptional service to the company. Their leadership, vision, and deep commitment have been central to Metro’s success, and we want to thank them both immensely for their outstanding contributions and loyalty over four decades.”
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