He began his journalistic career as a foreign correspondent with the Daily Telegraph, first in East Berlin where he reported on the fall of the Wall and the unification of Germany, and then in Moscow during the collapse of Soviet Communism. He later worked for the Financial Times (FT) and the BBC.
As Editor of the New Statesman from 2005 to 2008, he led the magazine to its highest circulation in 30 years. In 2006, he was named Current Affairs Editor of the Year by the Society of Magazine Editors. He currently writes regularly for newspapers such as The Guardian, FT, and Der Spiegel.
He has produced numerous programs for BBC Radio 4 and the World Service and frequently appears on European broadcasters.
His new book, *In Search of Berlin*, was published in October 2023 and has already received widespread critical acclaim.
His previous book, *Why the Germans Do It Better*, immediately became a best-seller on the Sunday Times and Amazon lists. Another best-seller, *Blair’s Wars* (2003), is now a standard text in schools. His fourth book, *Freedom For Sale* (2009), was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize.
A regular speaker at international conferences, he has collaborated with Chatham House, including establishing its UK in the World program.
He is a Senior Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute. For the past two years, he has chaired Young Königswinter, which brings together the next generation of German and British public figures.
In the arts world, he chairs the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration. He was the founding Chair of Turner Contemporary, one of the country’s most successful art galleries, for eight years. In recognition of his contributions to the arts, Bath Spa University awarded him an Honorary Doctorate in 2019.