{{Short description|British journalist}} {{Other people}} {{Use British English|date=April 2015}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2026}} {{Infobox person | name = Andrew Pierce | image = Andrew Pierce, journalist.jpg | image_size = | caption = Pierce in 2013 | birth_name = Patrick Connolly<ref name="Telegraph1">{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/3636766/Speaking-as-an-adopted-gay-Catholic-.-.-..html|title=Speaking as an adopted gay Catholic . . .|work=The Daily Telegraph|last=Pierce|first=Andrew|date=27 January 2007|accessdate=12 December 2014|url-access=subscription}}</ref> | birth_date = 11 February 1961 (64) | birth_place = Bristol, England<ref name=Telegraph1/> | other_names = | known_for = Consultant editor, ''Daily Mail'' (2009–)<br />Fmr. assistant editor, ''The Daily Telegraph'' (2006<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/the-top-50-newsmakers-of-2006-429283.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220507/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/the-top-50-newsmakers-of-2006-429283.html |archive-date=7 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=The top 50 newsmakers of 2006 – 48. ANDREW PIERCE|work=The Independent newspaper|date=18 December 2006|accessdate=12 December 2014}}{{cbignore}}</ref>–2009)<br />Fmr. assistant editor, ''The Times''<br />Fmr. political editor, ''The Times''<br />journalist, features writer, author and broadcaster | education = St Joseph's Catholic School, Swindon | alma mater = | employer = ''Daily Mail'', GB News | occupation = Journalist, editor, broadcaster }}
'''Andrew Pierce''' (born '''Patrick Connolly'''; 11 February 1961)<ref name="Telegraph1" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Pierce |first=Andrew |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XSL9EAAAQBAJ |title=Finding Margaret: Solving the mystery of my birth mother |date=2024-05-23 |publisher=Biteback Publishing |isbn=978-1-78590-909-2 |language=en}}</ref> is a British journalist, editor, author, broadcaster and political commentator.<ref name="Telegraph1"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lbc.co.uk/more-about-andrew-pierce-3620 |title=More about Andrew Pierce |publisher=LBC |accessdate=5 December 2010 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100918190122/http://www.lbc.co.uk/more-about-andrew-pierce-3620 |archivedate=18 September 2010 |url-status=dead |df=dmy }}</ref>
==Early life== Pierce was born in Bristol to an Irish Catholic mother and an unknown father.<ref name=Telegraph1/> He spent the first two years of his life in Nazareth House, a Catholic orphanage in Cheltenham,<ref name=Telegraph1/> and was adopted by a family from Swindon and brought up on a council estate there.<ref name=IP>{{cite web|url=http://www.irisprize.org/patrons/i/179/desc/andrew-pierce--chair-iris-prize/ |title=Patrons – Andrew Pierce – Chair, Iris Prize |work=IrisPrize.org |accessdate=12 December 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141213034317/http://www.irisprize.org/patrons/i/179/desc/andrew-pierce--chair-iris-prize/ |archivedate=13 December 2014 }}</ref> His adoptive father worked on the assembly line at British Leyland, a formerly state-owned car factory.<ref name="Andrew Pierce">{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/themargaretthatcheryears/1895691/How-Margaret-Thatcher-won-me-over.html|title=How Margaret Thatcher won me over|work=The Daily Telegraph|last=Pierce|first=Andrew|date=15 April 2008|accessdate=12 December 2014}}</ref>
Pierce was educated at St Joseph's Roman Catholic School,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/have-you-heard-the-latest-6143832.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130322010147/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/have-you-heard-the-latest-6143832.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 March 2013|title=Have you heard the latest?|last=Miller|first=Compton|date=27 June 2005|work=The Independent newspaper|accessdate=12 December 2014}}</ref> now known as St Joseph's Catholic College, a state comprehensive school in Swindon. He did not go to university.<ref name=IP/>
==Career in journalism== Pierce is a former assistant editor of both ''The Daily Telegraph'' and ''The Times'' newspapers,<ref name=Guardian2006 >{{cite news |title=5pm: Andrew Pierce to join Daily Telegraph |last=Brook |first=Stephen |date=17 July 2006 |newspaper=The Observer |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2006/jul/17/pressandpublishing.thedailytelegraph}}</ref> and the former political editor of the latter. He is a columnist and consultant editor for the ''Daily Mail'', which he joined in 2009.<ref name=Guardian2009 >{{cite news |title=Andrew Pierce to join Daily Mail: Daily Telegraph columnist and assistant editor to leave after three years to take new wide-ranging role |last=Plunkett |first=John |date=9 December 2009 |newspaper=The Observer |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/dec/09/andrew-pierce-daily-mail}}</ref><ref name=Lloyd2009 >{{cite news |title=Openly-gay journalist Andrew Pierce to join Daily Mail |last=Lloyd |first=Peter |date=9 December 2009 |newspaper=Pink Paper |accessdate=5 December 2010 |url=http://news.pinkpaper.com/NewsStory.aspx?id=2123|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716164530/http://news.pinkpaper.com/NewsStory.aspx?id=2123|archivedate=16 July 2011}}</ref>
Pierce presented a Sunday morning political radio show on the commercial radio station LBC 97.3 from 2008 until 2012, when he left.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2008/02/07/gay-journalist-gets-his-own-radio-show/|title=Gay journalist gets his own radio show|work=Pink News |date= 7 February 2008|accessdate=7 February 2008}}</ref> That radio programme was in the latter years presented as a double-headed show with Kevin Maguire from the ''Daily Mirror''. Pierce and Maguire continue their double act reviewing, previewing and dissecting the media and politics on the BBC, ITV and Sky News. On 22 March 2014, Pierce started presenting a Saturday breakfast show on LBC Radio.
In 2014, the ''Daily Mail'' had to pay damages to Kirsten Farage after Pierce falsely claimed in a column that she had been a mistress of Nigel Farage, the then leader of UKIP, while he was still married to his first wife.<ref name=pg-20140512>{{cite news |url=http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/daily-mail-pays-damages-and-legal-costs-farage-wife-after-saying-she-was-previously-his-mistress |title=Daily Mail pays damages and legal costs to Farage wife after saying she was previously his 'mistress'. |last=Ponsford |first=Dominic |work=Press Gazette |date=12 May 2014 |accessdate=11 July 2014}}</ref> In May 2018, the ''Daily Mail'' paid £11,000 towards the legal costs of the writer Kate Maltby after the publication of an article by Pierce about the claims of sexual harassment Maltby made against the politician Damian Green. The article was removed from the ''Mail''{{'}}s website without the publication having made an admission of fault.<ref>{{cite news|last=Elgot|first=Jessica|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/may/23/daily-mail-to-pay-kate-maltby-11000-over-negative-article|title=Daily Mail to pay Kate Maltby £11,000 costs over negative article|work=The Guardian|date=23 May 2018|accessdate=23 May 2018}}</ref>
Pierce is currently a presenter on the GB News television channel.
==Personal life== Pierce was raised, and remains, a Catholic.<ref name=Telegraph1/> He is gay and was chosen by ''The Observer'' in 2005 as one of the "gays who shape our new Britain".<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/dec/18/gayrights.uk | title= Gays who shape our new Britain | first=Denis| last=Campbell | work=The Observer | date=18 December 2005 | access-date=1 April 2021}}</ref> He strongly supports civil partnerships, and lives in a long-term civil partnership, per the Civil Partnership Act 2004.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}} He opposed the introduction of same-sex marriage.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-26634214 |title=The people who oppose the gay marriage law |work=BBC News Online |date=26 March 2014 |accessdate=30 March 2014 }}</ref>
In a BBC documentary in 2018 about Greg Owen and the court case ''National AIDS Trust v NHS Service Commissioning Board'', Pierce strongly criticised the idea of taxpayer-funded PrEP, a preventative medication to protect against contracting HIV: "That's what this is about: indulging gay men who don't want to use a condom. Well that's outrageous. Why should the taxpayer subsidise a reckless sex life of people in the gay community?"<ref>{{cite AV media |date=27 June 2018 |title=The People vs The NHS: Who Gets the Drugs? |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b8cdm4 |publisher=BBC Two }}</ref>
==Iris Prize== The Iris Prize Festival is a five-day public event in Cardiff, Wales, which includes screenings of the 30 short films competing for the Iris Prize. The Iris Prize is supported by the Michael Bishop Foundation and is the world's largest LGBT short film prize, giving the winning filmmaker £30,000 to make their next short film in the UK. Iris-produced shorts include ''Burger'' (2013), directed by Magnus Mork, and ''Followers'' (2015), directed by Tim Marshall, both of which were selected for the prestigious Sundance Film Festival. Pierce became Patron of the Iris Prize in 2007, and in 2013 became its first Chair.{{citation needed|date=July 2022}}
During his tenure as chair of the Iris Prize, Pierce oversaw a number of key developments in the festival. In 2014, at a launch reception, Pierce announced a new strand at the Iris Prize Festival, Best British Short,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pictureville.net/2014/04/iris-prize-will-celebrate-best-of.html|title=Iris Prize will celebrate 'Best of British'|work=pictureville.net|date=7 April 2014|accessdate=6 February 2015|archive-date=6 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150206162945/http://www.pictureville.net/2014/04/iris-prize-will-celebrate-best-of.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> and helped secure a sponsorship deal with the Pinewood Studios Group totalling £14,000 in post-production sound for the winning filmmaker.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pinewoodgroup.com/our-studios/uk/news/pinewood-studios-represented-main-international-jury-iris-prize-festival-2014|title=PINEWOOD STUDIOS REPRESENTED ON MAIN INTERNATIONAL JURY FOR IRIS PRIZE FESTIVAL 2014|work=pinewoodgroup.com|date=31 March 2014|accessdate=6 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150206154532/http://www.pinewoodgroup.com/our-studios/uk/news/pinewood-studios-represented-main-international-jury-iris-prize-festival-2014|archive-date=6 February 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> In January 2015, it was announced that the Iris Prize would be increasing from £25,000 to £30,000.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/iris-prize-award-lgbti-short-films-increased-%C2%A330000120115|title=Iris Prize, the award for LGBTI short films, increased to £30,000|work=gaystarnews.com|date=12 January 2015|accessdate=6 February 2015|archive-date=6 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150206161307/http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/iris-prize-award-lgbti-short-films-increased-%C2%A330000120115|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Selected publications== *{{citation | last1=Parris | first1=Matthew | year=1995 | title=Great parliamentary scandals: four centuries of calumny, smear and innuendo | last2=Prosser | first2=David | last3=Pierce | first3=Andrew | publisher=Robson Books | isbn=978-0-86051-957-7 }}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{commons category}} *[https://www.twitter.com/toryboypierce Andrew Pierce on Twitter] *[https://www.lbc.co.uk/radio/presenters/andrew-pierce/ Andrew Pierce on LBC] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706070555/https://www.lbc.co.uk/radio/presenters/andrew-pierce/ |date=6 July 2022 }}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pierce, Andrew}} Category:Living people Category:1961 births Category:British people of Irish descent Category:English Roman Catholics Category:British gay writers Category:British LGBTQ journalists Category:LBC radio presenters Category:LGBTQ Roman Catholics Category:English LGBTQ writers Category:GB News newsreaders and journalists Category:Journalists from Bristol Category:21st-century English LGBTQ people Category:English male journalists