From my formative years as a cub reporter, staring up at the oil paintings of former editors, lined up along the walls of the concourse of the then Yorkshire Post headquarters, a building of Brutalist architecture standing with its chest puffed out on Leeds’ Wellington Street, it was the one you wanted to work on. The flagship. The mothership. It was, and perhaps remains, an intimidating yet exhilarating news brand - but especially to those on the outside.
And the reason I share this with you is this: the next leader of this country will be faced with uncanny parallels when it comes to restoring the trust of the electorate and the reputation of the nation. People have lost confidence in the leadership of this country. The civil service, the engine room of policy and politics, has lost confidence in the leadership of this country. Our international partners have lost confidence in the leadership of this country.