Joe Murphy (journalist)

Murphy was born in 1964 or 1965.^[1] He joined the Lobby in 1989, and worked for The Sun under Trevor Kavanagh,^[1] and for The Sunday Telegraph as its political editor.

In April 2002 he was hired by the Evening Standard to take up the newly created position of Whitehall editor.^[2] In 2004 he was replaced by Paul Waugh in that role and became the political editor.^[3] He was previously the political editor of The Mail on Sunday.^[1] In March 2013 he apologised on behalf of the Evening Standard after that month's budget was leaked in a tweet of the newspaper's front page.^[4] The "very serious mistake" led to an investigation and the suspension of the journalist that posted the tweet.^[5]

Murphy was named Political Journalist of the Year at the 2013 Press Gazette British Journalism Awards.^[6] In April 2021 it was reported that he was retiring after 32 years in the Lobby, including 25 years at the political editor level.^[1] He was succeeded by Nicholas Cecil as political editor of the Evening Standard.^[7]

Murphy is married to Joy Copley, a former political editor of The Scotsman.^[1] He has a daughter.^[8]