Evening Standard managing editor Jack Lefley is leaving the now-weekly newspaper to become editor-in-chief of PA Media, the UK’s national news agency.
Lefley will replace Pete Clifton, who announced in July that he would be stepping down from the role after ten years.
Lefley has worked at the Standard for more than 18 years, beginning as a news reporter in 2006 before rising to head of news under then-editor Sarah Sands. He was the Standard’s acting editor and publisher for a year between the departure of Emily Sheffield and the arrival of current editor Dylan Jones.
He will continue at the Standard, which relaunched as a magazine-style weekly last week amid a cost-cutting restructure, until the end of the year, when he will start in his new role.
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In an email to staff, the Standard said Lefley “has contributed a huge amount to our business across nearly two decades at the Standard…
“As well as being behind many of the Standard’s iconic front pages over the years, he has been a key figure in the digital transformation of the business, overseeing the integration of our print and digital operations as well as the launch of our new website and many of our digital products.”
Jones paid tribute to Lefley in the email, calling him “indispensable” and “extremely difficult to replace”.
He said: “I’m incredibly sad to be losing Jack as he has been enormously helpful to me both personally and professionally during my time at the Standard.
“He is a consummate professional who for many years has been both the heartbeat and the glue of the company. He would have also advised me not to mix my metaphors.”
In the same email Lefley said that it had been “an honour to work with the Standard’s outstanding team over the past 18 years and I will always be immensely proud of the brilliant journalism we have produced together.
“The Standard has been a huge part of my professional life and I will miss the place and the people a great deal.”
In PA Media statement he said: “Throughout my career I’ve always been a huge admirer of what PA does and the editorial values of accuracy, impartiality and speed that it stands for. I’ve relied on PA’s journalism as a reporter, a news editor and editor and it’s a great honour to be invited to step into Pete Clifton’s considerable shoes.
“My focus will be on taking PA forward into a new era. That’ll mean accelerating digital transformation, maintaining the exemplary editorial standards that define PA, growing the outstanding video services and making the best use of data in our decision making.”
PA Media Group chief executive Emily Shelley said Lefley’s appointment followed “a highly competitive selection process featuring some outstanding external and internal candidates”, adding that Lefley’s “and Jack’s “track record and his vision for PA Media stood out.
“He brings together the traditional skills, strong editorial values and frontline experience needed for one of the busiest roles in news, and a detailed understanding of our customer needs.”
Outgoing editor Clifton said: “It has been an enormous privilege to lead PA through so much change over the past decade and maintain its reputation for fast, high-quality newsgathering.
“It’s the best role in journalism and I know Jack will do a brilliant job maintaining PA’s position at the heart of the media landscape in the UK, Ireland and beyond.”
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