The Spectator is a British conservative political magazine, established 1828, published weekly. It claims to be the oldest continually published magazine in the English language.

Editorship of The Spectator is traditionally a launchpad for high flyers in the British Conservative Party with past holders being Iain Macleod and Nigel Lawson. The current editor is Boris Johnson, and it is owned by the Barclay brothers, who also own The Daily Telegraph. The publisher is the American Kimberly Quinn. Following the revelations of her affairs and Boris Johnson's comments about people from Liverpool the owners have installed Andrew Neil as Chief Executive but with no formal editorial role.

Like The Daily Telegraph, The Spectator is Atlanticist in outlook, favouring close ties with the United States rather than with the European Union, and is strongly supportive of Israel.

Past editors

• Robert Stephen Rintoul 1828, as founder, to 1861 when the position was shared with Hutton
• R. H. Hutton 1861 – 97
• John St. Loe Strachey 1897-1925
• Wilson Harris in 1930s
• Ian Gilmour 1954-9
• Iain Hamilton
• Iain Macleod 1963-5
• Nigel Lawson 1966-70
• George Gale 1970-73
• Harold Creighton 1973-75
• Alexander Chancellor 1975-84
• Charles Moore 1984-90
• Dominic Lawson 1990–5
• Frank Johnson
• Boris Johnson 1999-

External links

• The Spectator official site

The Spectator was also the title of a daily publication of 1711-14, founded by Joseph Addison and Richard Steele.

External links

• About the Spectator (The 1711-14 publication)

The Spectator is the name of the student newspapers of both Stuyvesant High School and Columbia University.