If you don’t vote Tory, it is unlikely you will care about the somewhat anxious mood within the SW1 offices of the famous Spectator magazine, once edited by Boris Johnson. Or understand the sense of hopeful uncertainty buzzing around the offices of the “Torygraph” newspaper in Victoria. But to many in the Conservative heartlands, Wednesday’s announcement that both publications were up for sale meant WhatsApps began buzzing with gossip and intrigue.
The Telegraph Media Group and The Spectator have been forced into receivership after the holding company of both, owned by the billionaire Barclay family, failed to successfully renegotiate their loan of millions of pounds dating back to the financial crash. Despite the rude financial health and growing subscription base of both the legacy news brands, their immediate future hangs in the balance, as much as the political party they support. Rumours of financial concern at their parent company had been rife for weeks.
