Dan Hodges

Dan Hodges
Dan Hodges
Born	March 7, 1969 (age 57); Lewisham, London, England
Occupation(s)	Columnist, journalist
Years active	1992–present
Known for	Weekly column in The Mail on Sunday; former columnist for The Daily Telegraph

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Dan Hodges, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 11 August 2025

Daniel Pearce Jackson Hodges (born 7 March 1969) is a British columnist known for his work in newspapers. Since March 2016, he has contributed a weekly column to The Mail on Sunday. Prior to this, he wrote for The Daily Telegraph and was recognized in 2013 by James Forsyth in The Spectator as David Cameron's "new favourite columnist".

Early life

Hodges was born in Lewisham and is the son of actress and former Labour MP Glenda Jackson and Roy Hodges, who worked as a stage manager and actor within repertory theatre. Between 1987 and 1990, he pursued studies in English Literature and Communications at Edge Hill College, located in Lancashire. From 1992 until 1997, he served as a parliamentary researcher for his mother before transitioning into public relations positions with organizations such as the Road Haulage Association, the trade union GMB, and the Freedom To Fly advocacy group.

In 2007, Hodges briefly held the role of Head of Communications at the London Development Agency and also acted as Director of News for Transport for London. He departed these roles within a year following a public relations controversy. Subsequently, he spearheaded efforts advocating for a congestion charge in Greater Manchester, which ultimately failed to gain approval in local referendums.

Journalism

Hodges has operated as a freelance journalist and blogger for several publications including the New Statesman, The Daily Telegraph, and The Mail on Sunday. He played a part in the 2011 successful campaign against the Alternative Vote system (No to AV), though attracted criticism for producing an anti-AV poster that implied electoral reform might result in infant fatalities.

In 2016, Hodges received the Political Commentator of the Year accolade at The Comment Awards.

Labour Party

As a member of Compass, Hodges supported Jon Cruddas during the 2007 deputy leadership election but later expressed criticism toward the organization. In the 2010 Labour leadership race, he backed David Miliband and has described himself as a "tribal neo-Blairite". He openly criticized former leader Ed Miliband.

Despite his long-standing affiliation with Labour, Hodges voted for Conservative candidate Boris Johnson in the London Mayoral election of May 2012, commending Johnson as a "unifying figure" compared to his predecessor Ken Livingstone, whom Hodges considered divisive. Nevertheless, he continued to support Labour candidates running for the London Assembly.

Following the House of Commons' rejection of military action in Syria in August 2013—and disagreeing with Ed Miliband's position—Hodges left the Labour Party. He rejoined in July 2015, endorsing Yvette Cooper for party leadership while opposing Jeremy Corbyn.

Hodges resigned once more in December 2015, citing harassment and intimidation directed at Labour MPs by party members, as detailed in an op-ed published in The Daily Telegraph.

Other views

Hodges has advocated for government restrictions on whistleblowers who disclose "information highly detrimental to the UK national interest."

Controversy

In early 2025, Hodges encountered criticism over remarks made on social media regarding the Gaza conflict, where he stated that British taxpayer funds should not be used for reconstruction "until every Hamas terrorist is either dead or in jail." When asked about civilian casualties, including children, his response was: "Yes, basically." These statements led to accusations that he supported collective punishment and possible war crimes. A British legal expert cautioned that such comments could contravene UK legislation such as the Public Order Act and the International Criminal Court Act 2001.

Other pursuits

In addition to his journalism career, Hodges has designed wargames; his debut title, Where There Is Discord: War in the South Atlantic, centers on the conflict in the Falklands.

His first book, One Minute To Ten, was released by Penguin Books in November 2015. The work offers an analysis of how the 2015 UK general election influenced the party leaders Cameron, Miliband, and Clegg.

Personal details

In February 1992, Hodges sustained the loss of vision in his left eye while attempting to break up a fight in a bar.

He wed Michelle di Leo in 2003 after meeting her at a Labour Party Conference held in 1999. The couple resides in Blackheath, London, together with their children.

External links