Politico Europe has expanded its UK politics team with two new editorial hires as it expects a “surge in demand” for policy stories post Brexit.
Politics Home chief reporter Emilio Casalicchio will join the website’s lobby team in a fortnight with Cristina Gallardo leaving her job as Research Fortnight news editor to take up her new UK reporter job in August.
The hires were revealed by Politico executive editor Stephen Brown in an email to staff last night and reported in its London Playbook newsletter this morning.
London Playbook also reported that Press Association lobby reporter Alain Tolhurst will replace Casalicchio at Politics Home.
In a statement, executive editor Brown said: “Once Britain leaves the European Union — assuming that’s still the plan — then the hard part begins.
“We expect a surge in demand for detailed policy news after Brexit, in what will be a more technical phase.
“So, as well as our London Playbook author Jack Blanchard and Westminster reporters Charlie Cooper and Annabelle Dickson, we will be deploying Emilio Casalicchio and Cristina Gallardo to look across a whole range of complex policy challenges facing post-Brexit Britain.”
He added: “Our UK editor Kate Day and Brexit editor James Randerson will have a strong and talented reporting team to build on our already award-winning Brexit coverage over the coming years.”
The new hires will be reporting on Westminster from Politico’s offices in London.
Two years ago Politico Europe poached former Daily Mirror political editor Jack Blanchard from the tabloid.
Politico was founded in the US and covers politics and policy in the country as well as in Europe.
The Brussels-based Europe team also has a print title on top of its online coverage.
Picture: Politico
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