Paul Webster, the editor of The Observer, will retire from the Sunday newspaper this autumn.
Webster has been the editor of the paper since January 2018, having previously been its deputy editor for 22 years.
Parent company Guardian News and Media said The Observer had made “powerful interventions over the course of his editorship”, for example campaigning for a second Brexit referendum, defending civil liberties and criticising the Conservative government’s Covid response.
The company said there will be an open recruitment process to appoint the next editor.
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Webster said: “I am proud of The Observer’s achievements over the years I have worked here and would like to pay tribute to the talented team who have made this possible.
“I look forward to enjoying the paper as a reader, and I am absolutely confident it will maintain its long-standing traditions of fearless reporting, trenchant commentary and fine cultural coverage, and its unbending commitment to progressive liberal values and freedom of expression.”
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Guardian editor in chief Katharine Viner added: “Paul has done a fantastic job over the past six years editing the world’s oldest Sunday newspaper with flair and expertise, taking the helm as we relaunched the paper in a tabloid format.
“He has given The Observer a significant and distinct voice. I wish Paul all the very best after an impressive 28 year career dedicated to The Observer and, before that, to The Guardian.”
Like its daily sister paper The Observer has not reported circulation figures to ABC since September 2021. Its last reported figure was an average circulation per issue of 136,656 in July 2021: if its circulation has fallen at the industry average of 16% year-on-year since then, it would stand at approximately 81,000 today.
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