Michael Toner (journalist)

Michael Toner (born 1944) is a British journalist. He was political editor, diplomatic correspondent and leader writer at the Sunday Express,^[1][2] chief leader writer on the Daily Mail until 2006,^[3] a political author^[4] and novelist.^{[5][6][7][8][9][9][10][11][12][13][14]}

Life

Toner was born in Bedfordshire in 1944^[15] and educated at Bedford Modern School and the University of Cambridge.^[8][16] He began his career in journalism at the Stoke Sentinel before moving to the Sunday Express^[17] where, in 1981, he interviewed Margaret Thatcher with fellow Express journalist Keith Renshaw.^[18][19][20] He became leader writer of the Sunday Express^[1][2] where he covered many of the controversial topics of the 1980s and 1990s including articles about the IRA, Britain Fumes at U.S. Over I.R.A. Guns,^[21] the miners’ strike,^[22] the Falklands War,^[23] child abuse^[24] and the war crime allegations involving Kurt Waldheim.^[25] David Alton described Toner's approach to Alton's anti-abortion bill as "thorough and fair".^[26]

Following his period at the Sunday Express, Toner became Chief Leader Writer at the Daily Mail, a position he held until 2006 when Tom Utley succeeded him to the role.^[3]

Toner’s first published work, The Bluffer’s Guide To The EU, has run to several editions encapsulating the changing nomenclature of that institution.^{[4][27][28][29]} He published his first novel, Seeing the Light, in 1997.^[30][31][32]

Bibliography

• Seeing the Light. Published by Simon & Schuster, London, 1997^[7][30]
• The Bluffer’s Guide To The EU. Michael Toner with Christopher White and Lee Rotherham. Published by Oval, London, 1999^[28][33]
• Bluff Your Way In the City^[34]

References

External links

• Michael Toner at WorldCat Identities
• Michael Toner at LibraryThing