The exit door has started swinging at the New Statesman as new editor Tom McTague prepares to take charge, with executive editor Tom Gatti, who has been in charge since the end of last year, bidding farewell.
Gatti was appointed acting editor in December when previous boss Jason Cowley stood down. He is understood to have thrown his hat in the ring for the permanent role, and some old school Staggers staff were distraught when he was overlooked given he was popular and seen as both a good editor and manager.
Gatti announced this week he would be joining the new Tortoise-owned Observer as literary editor in June after 11 years at the Statesman.
Remaining staff and freelancers alike are keen to know what the new editor will mean for the future of the publication – especially the latter, who are nervously waiting to see whether or not McTague, who joins the magazine from right wing opinion website Unherd, plans to get in touch with them before he starts.
Gatti, meanwhile, is just one of a string of new appointees to the Observer as Tortoise splashes the cash ahead of taking over proper. Last week Philip Collins, a well-respected columnist given the heave-ho by the Times in 2020 for not being sufficiently well-connected to Boris Johnson’s government, announced he would be joining. He wrote on X: “For anyone who once really liked The Times you might like the new incarnation of The Observer. I am going to join soon and that’s where I will be doing my writing.”
