After nearly two years setting up and editing Left Foot Forward, I have decided to pass on the leadership of the blog to what Ed Miliband might call a “new generation”.

Shamik Das, our excellent assistant editor becomes Acting Editor, and Daniel Elton, a trained fundraiser who has been working with Left Foot Forward on the separate Latimer Project, will take over as Managing Director with responsibility for business development. Our regular writers Nicola Smith and Marcus Roberts will become contributing editors on social policy and foreign policy respectively. They join a new editorial board which will be expanded in the coming weeks.

In January, I start as Associate Director for Strategic Development at the Institute for Public Policy Research (ippr). I’ll be working with new Director Nick Pearce and ippr’s terrific team of researchers (many of whom will be familiar as LFF contributors) to help rebuild the policy platform for British progressives as well as developing the Institute’s international relationships, particularly in the US where I used to work. I’ll continue to write – primarily on economic policy – for Left Foot Forward.

Setting up and editing Left Foot Forward over the past 18 months has been an enormously rewarding challenge and I’m thrilled that we now have a regular monthly audience of over 50,000 and have been voted the No.1 left-wing blog. I’ve no doubt that the new team will take the blog from strength to strength.

44 Responses to “Changes at Left Foot Forward”

1. 

   Bill Wells

   November 26, 2010

   I wish you well in your new venture. LFF fills an important gap and reminds me every week to keep my eye on the main ball.

2. 

   Judy Dickinson

   November 27, 2010

   Many thanks Will for all the facts and figures you have provided campaigners with over these last two years. Keep them coming from your new job. Hope you will continue as great fringe speaker at Labour Conference.

3. 

   Will Straw

   November 27, 2010

   Thanks very much for all the kind comments. I really appreciate it.

   Will

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