Alex Newton

Alex Newton, who retired as Editor of the Official Report (Hansard) in the House of Commons on 7th June 2022, was a leading member of BIPRA and will be much missed by colleagues.
 
Alex joined the House of Commons service in 1989.  After 16 years of covering debates in various capacities, and having played a leading role in establishing the Official Report at the Welsh Assembly in Cardiff, he became Deputy Editor in 2005 and Editor in 2015.
 
As Editor, Alex took ultimate responsibility for delivery of service by Hansard and by the Parliamentary Broadcasting Unit, including during the covid-19 pandemic. 
 
As Deputy Editor, Alex professionalised and codified parliamentary reporting as a discipline. He introduced a postgraduate diploma in parliamentary reporting delivered in partnership with City, University of London. Alex began Hansard’s longstanding relationship with the social mobility charity UpReach, which has contributed to a record number of applicants in recent recruitment campaigns, and a significantly younger and more diverse staff. 
 
Alex has spoken at many BIPRA events over the years, and always made the case for as many House of Commons staff as possible to attend and participate in conferences.  We wish him well for the future.