Laura Kuenssberg will replace Andrew Marr as the permanent host of the BBC’s Sunday morning political interview programme as part of an ongoing reshuffle of the broadcaster’s on-screen staff.
Kuenssberg is preparing to step down as the BBC’s political editor after more than six years in the role and will start her new role in September. Her final job as political editor will be to cover May’s local elections and she will also be cutting back on her commitments to other outlets such as the Newscast podcast.
She beat the long-term Today programme presenter Mishal Husain to land the role, with a promise of a “new-look” format for Sunday mornings. Husain is tipped for other television roles as they become available in the coming years, with internal candidates already positioning themselves for the competition to replace Huw Edwards as the host of News at Ten.
Marr hosted the Sunday morning political show for 16 years, before quitting the BBC to host a new daily show on radio station LBC. Sophie Raworth has guest-hosted the show since, but she was overlooked for the permanent position.
The announcement is part of BBC-wide reshuffle of on-screen presenters, with the decision of high-profile stars such as Emily Maitlis and Jon Sopel to leave the corporation creating a cascade of vacancies.
An announcement on Kuenssberg’s replacement as BBC political editor is also expected shortly. The Sky News presenter Sophy Ridge and the former Guardian political editor Anushka Asthana are among those waiting to hear if they have been picked for the role.
Kuenssberg had been in discussions about a move to Radio 4’s Today programme but was instead rewarded with the political interview show. It is expected she will receive a pay rise from her existing £260,000 salary. Marr received £335,000 in his role.
Her new salary will be published alongside the BBC’s annual report in the summer, while she will be off air working on the new format.
More prominent BBC presenting positions may also soon become available. The Today presenter Justin Webb ha repeatedly been linked with a potential move to TimesRadio.
The ongoing boom in podcasts and commercial speech radio means BBC presenters are increasingly tempted by the competitive salaries and reduction in scrutiny that can come from switching to private sector companies such as Rupert Murdoch’s News UK and Global Media’s LBC.
