News UK chief operating officer David Dinsmore is taking up a senior communications role at the heart of Government.
David Dinsmore, who was editor of The Sun between 2013 and 2015, will serve as a senior civil servant responsible for overseeing and improving Government communications.
The Telegraph, which first reported his appointment, described the “permanent secretary for communications” role as a new position, created after the Prime Minister voiced concerns about Government communications late last year.
PA understands Dinsmore will be undertaking a role that replaces Simon Baugh, who was the chief executive of the Government Communications Service.
Sir Keir Starmer is said to have interviewed shortlisted candidates for the role, and to have been impressed with Dinsmore’s understanding of communication challenges, according to The Telegraph.
Dinsmore began his career in journalism at the Scottish Sun in 1990, and rose to become its editor in 2006.
He edited The Sun between 2013 and 2015, after which he was promoted to chief operating officer of News UK.
Under his stewardship, The Sun stopped featuring topless models on page three following prolonged outcry from campaigners. Dinsmore was branded “sexist of the year” in 2014 by campaign group End Violence Against Women after holding out against the move.
Dinsmore’s current COO role includes leading on News UK’s relationships with Google, Apple and Facebook, and overseeing data tools, advertising client relationships, and retail and print operations.
He is the latest in a string of prominent tabloid newspaper men to have moved into communications roles at the heart of Government, following in the footsteps of senior Blair government media adviser and Mirror political editor Alastair Campbell, and News of the World editor Andy Coulson, who worked in Lord David Cameron’s government.
Dinsmore’s appointment could prove controversial among Labour MPs, especially those from Liverpool, where there remains a concerted boycott of the Sun over its reporting of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster.
Labour is due to hold its party conference in Liverpool at the end of September.
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