Tom Harwood
Tom Harwood | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 26, 1996 Cambridge, England |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, political analyst, television presenter |
| Years active | 2018–present |
| Known for | Deputy political editor at GB News, reporter for Guido Fawkes, columnist for The Daily Telegraph |
Thomas Hedley Fairfax Harwood (born 26 August 1996) is a British journalist, political analyst, and television presenter. In March 2023, he was appointed deputy political editor at GB News. Between 2018 and 2021, Harwood worked as a reporter for the right-leaning political news outlet Guido Fawkes and authored online columns for The Daily Telegraph during the period from 2019 to 2021.
Early life and education
Harwood was born in Cambridge, England, and attended the private The Perse School located in his hometown. He pursued a degree in politics at Durham University, where he also served as president of the university’s debating society, the Durham Union.
He gained widespread recognition through a satirical campaign aimed at becoming a delegate for the National Union of Students. Utilizing viral videos and witty promises to critique the organization, his campaign achieved what The Times characterized as "a landslide victory" in December 2016. This success led to an appearance on the BBC's Daily Politics programme.
In 2017, Harwood sought election to the NUS presidency with a comparable platform and received endorsement from the University of Manchester Students' Union. The union conducted a primary election allowing direct student voting. Despite this backing, he finished third, securing 35 votes out of roughly 1,200 delegates. He returned to the BBC's Daily Politics in 2018 to promote a satirical initiative advocating for lowering the voting age to 12.
Career
During his university years, Harwood chaired Students for Britain, a pro-Brexit national group affiliated with the official Vote Leave campaign. In 2017, he was employed by the American libertarian organisation Students for Liberty. That same year, he stood as a Conservative candidate in the East Chesterton ward during the Cambridge City Council election, where he placed sixth with 336 votes. Later in 2018, Harwood joined the right-wing political news website Guido Fawkes as a reporter.
In 2019, LBC recognized him among its top 100 most influential Conservatives. Harwood briefly associated with Turning Point UK, the British branch of the US conservative student group Turning Point USA, but soon distanced himself due to conflicting political perspectives. From 2019 until 2021, he contributed opinion articles to The Telegraph. At age 22, he became the youngest regular panel member on the topical debate show BBC Question Time.
Harwood joined GB News as political correspondent in 2021. By August of that year, he was announced as presenter of the new show The Briefing: AM with Tom Harwood. His promotion to deputy political editor at GB News occurred in March 2023.