Alastair Campbell's anti-Brexit newspaper drops ‘European' branding
An anti-Brexit newspaper edited by Alastair Campbell is dropping its European branding nine years after the UK voted to leave the EU.
The New European, which counts Tony Blair's former spin doctor as its editor-at-large, will be renamed The New World as the title aims to distance itself from its founding mission.
The weekly paper initially launched as a four-week pop-up publication in response to the Brexit vote in 2016, saying it aimed to 'rebalance the Right-wing extremes of much of the UK national press'.
However, the title is now expanding its outlook globally as interest in Brexit wanes and amid broader geopolitical turmoil.
Mr Campbell said: 'When we started the paper, you could never have predicted [where we are]. Just to look at the United States alone.
'You wouldn't have predicted that Ukraine and Russia were going to be fighting a war on the edge of Europe. Lots has happened – it's a reflection of that.'
But he added: 'We're always going to be very passionately anti-Brexit, very pro-internationalism, liberal democracy. I will never resile from the view that Brexit is the biggest act of self harm that we've inflicted upon ourselves, certainly in my lifetime.'
The New European was formerly owned by local newspaper group Archant before being taken private by its founder and a group of angel investors in 2021.
Former BBC director general Mark Thompson and former Financial Times editor Lionel Barber are among the investors in the title, alongside serial tech investor Saul Klein and Taavet Hinrikus, founder of payments firm Wise.
The New European raised more than £1m in a crowdfunding campaign in 2023 that valued the business at £6m. The company will seek further investment later this year as it looks to move into new markets.
The revamped title has tapped a string of new writers, including former Observer columnist Sonia Sodha and Tom Baldwin, a former senior Labour adviser and Sir Keir Starmer's biographer.
They will join existing contributors including Matthew d'Ancona, Marie Le Conte and Paul Mason.
The title, which will be available in the UK, Ireland and selected European capitals, will also boast a redesigned format.
The company said the relaunch aimed to build on a growing subscriber base. Since 2022, revenues have tripled and subscriptions have quadrupled, taking the total weekly paying audience to around 35,000.
Matt Kelly, the founder and editor-in-chief, said: 'The New European was conceived as a pop-up provocation; a defiant middle finger to the rising tide of Right-wing populism that brought us Brexit.
'Nine years later, the world and The New European has changed dramatically. This is a reflection of that new reality.
'We have come a long way. We have built a profitable business and a vibrant alternative to tired old legacy media models. Now we are ambitious for more growth.'
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