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Thursday, Aug 20, 2026

Sir Paul Marshall Acquires The Spectator for £100 Million

Sir Paul Marshall has acquired The Spectator magazine for one hundred million pounds, outbidding around 20 contenders. The purchase follows the collapse of an Abu Dhabi-backed bid to buy the magazine and other Telegraph titles. The current Spectator editor, Fraser Nelson, expressed confidence in the new owner.
Sir Paul Marshall, a leading investor in GB News, has bought The Spectator magazine for £100 million.

He emerged victorious over around 20 bidders for the right-leaning publication, once edited by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The magazine went back on the market in April following the collapse of an Abu Dhabi-backed bid to acquire it alongside the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph after government intervention and new legislation banning foreign state ownership of UK newspapers.

The Telegraph newspapers remain for sale, with Marshall also in the running.

Other contenders include Rupert Murdoch’s News UK and former chancellor Nadhim Zahawi.

Upon the sale's announcement, Spectator chairman Andrew Neil resigned immediately, highlighting potential conflicts of interest with hedge fund ownership.

The Spectator, founded in 1828, joins Marshall's Old Queen Street (OQS) media group, which plans significant investments in the title.

Fraser Nelson, the current editor, expressed confidence in the new ownership.

Sir Paul Marshall, worth an estimated £875 million, is a prominent figure in finance and philanthropy.

His previous ventures include the children's charity ARK and the Marshall Institute for Philanthropy and Social Entrepreneurship.

A former Liberal Democrat and Brexit supporter, he now backs the Conservative Party.

His media investments include founding UnHerd in 2017 and substantial investments in GB News.
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