David Dinsmore
British civil servant (born 1968)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
David Dinsmore (born 2 September 1968)[2] is a senior civil servant and former editor of The Sun newspaper.
2 September 1968
David Dinsmore | |
|---|---|
| Born | David Dinsmore 2 September 1968 Glasgow, Scotland |
| Occupation | Senior civil servant |
| Employer | Government of the United Kingdom |
| Title | Permanent Secretary for Communications[1] |
| Permanent Secretary for Communications | |
| Assumed office 30 July 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Office created |
Early career
Dinsmore grew up in Glasgow,[3] and began working for News International at the age of 22.[4]
He was employed by the Clydebank Post and then later he worked as a reporter for the Eastwood Mercury, Milngavie Herald and Kirkintilloch Herald newspapers.[5]
In 1991, Dinsmore became a casual reporter for the Scottish Sun newspaper. At the same time he began a degree in business management at Paisley University. His first full-time role as a reporter came with the Daily Star in their Edinburgh office.[5]
Career with News Corp
Dinsmore returned to the Scottish Sun as a reporter in 1994, he then rose through the ranks of that paper to become sub-editor, then chief sub-editor. and made the move to London after becoming picture editor of the News of the World under Phil Hall.[5]
In 2004, Dinsmore became night editor of The Sun, and in 2006, he was appointed editor of the Scottish edition of the paper, serving until 2010.[4] He then became general manager of the paper in Scotland, then in quick succession managing editor in London, and director of operations for News International.[6] Dinsmore was appointed editor of The Sun in June 2013, replacing Dominic Mohan.[7]
Following his appointment to the job, he faced criticism as a result of the growing support for the No More Page 3 campaign, which challenged the appropriateness of bare breasts in the family newspaper. In November 2013, he stated that he had no intention of dropping the Page 3 feature, despite the pressure from campaign supporters including politicians, celebrities and student bodies.[8] In December 2014, Dinsmore was named sexist of the year by End Violence Against Women.[9][10][11] The Page 3 feature of a topless women came to end in January 2015.[12]
Under his editorship The Sun's online presence went behind a paywall, however Dinsmore is credited with growing the online subscriber base, doubling the number of paying customers from an initial 117,000 to 225,000.[13][14] Dinsmore has won also plaudits from the media industry, ranking at 27 in the 2014 Media Guardian 100,[15] and at 67 in GQ magazine's 2015 'Most Connected Men in Britain' list.[16] On 2 September 2015, he was promoted to Chief Operating Officer of News UK, and Tony Gallagher succeeded him as editor of The Sun.[17]
In 2016 he was convicted of breaking the Sexual Offences (Amendment) act after inadvertently revealing the identity of a victim of a sexual offence.[18]
Career in civil service
In late July 2025, Dinsmore was appointed "permanent secretary for communications" for the UK government.[19] His appointment, and that of Peter Mandelson as British ambassador to the United States, was criticised by the former prime minister Gordon Brown.[20]
