{{short description| British journalist}} {{About| the journalist| the character| One Dangerous Night}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}} {{Infobox person | name = Jane Merrick | occupation = Journalist | employer = i (newspaper) }}
'''Jane Merrick''' (born 23 November 1973) is a British journalist who is currently the policy editor at the ''i'' newspaper. She was previously the political editor of ''The Independent on Sunday'' between 2008 and 2015. Merrick has also worked as a political correspondent for ''The Daily Mail'' and the Press Association.
==Early life== Merrick was born on 23 November 1973 in Liverpool, England.<ref>{{cite tweet|number=746296951495327744|user=janemerrick23|date=24 June 2016|title=Born in Liverpool Studied in Leeds Live and work in London Ancestry in Scotland Proud to be part of the 48%}}</ref><ref name=Paula>{{cite news|title=Jane Merrick: It should have been me wearing Paula's GB vest|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/commentators/jane-merrick-it-should-have-been-me-wearing-paula-s-gb-vest-899617.html|work=The Independent|last=Merrick|first=Jane|date=17 August 2008|accessdate=17 March 2023}}</ref> She grew up in the suburb of Aigburth<ref name=Born>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/born-again-liverpool-returns-to-the-polls-1941249.html|title=Born again: Liverpool returns to the polls|date=11 April 2010|accessdate=17 March 2023|work=The Independent|last=Merrick|first=Jane}}</ref> and attended a comprehensive school. Her parents were teachers who support the Labour Party.<ref>{{cite web|work=The Political Party|url=https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/766e5f56-3d0e-5372-ac75-e16054197bba|title=Show 78 – Jane Merrick|time=16:57|accessdate=17 March 2023|date=18 October 2018}}</ref> In interviews, Merrick has discussed how her mother was one of 31,000 council workers threatened with redundancy by Derek Hatton and the Militant in Liverpool.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/article/my-mum-almost-lost-her-job-thanks-to-derek-hatton-78njxwzcn|title=My mum almost lost her job thanks to Derek Hatton|work=The Sunday Times|date=23 September 2018|last=Merrick|first=Jane}}{{subscription required}}</ref> She has two siblings.<ref>{{cite web|work=The Political Party|url=https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/766e5f56-3d0e-5372-ac75-e16054197bba|title=Show 78 – Jane Merrick|time=23:40|accessdate=17 March 2023|date=18 October 2018}}</ref> Merrick then studied at the University of Leeds.<ref name=Paula/><ref>{{cite tweet|title=I went to a comprehensive school in Liverpool and university in Leeds. I knew no one in journalism when I got into it. Very proud of my achievement of becoming a political editor aged 34. I have no tribal loyalty to any ideology. Nobody tells me what to think or write.|user=janemerrick23|date=20 April 2018|number=987265550475845633}}</ref>
==Career== At the age of 19, Merrick set up a listings magazine called ''L:Scene'' during her gap year in 1993 which was her first job in journalism.<ref name=List>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/commentators/from-an-unknown-manchester-band-to-princess-diana-the-best-stories-i-never-told-a6725591.html|work=The Independent|title=From an unknown band to Princess Diana – the best stories I never told|last=Merrick|first=Jane|date=7 November 2015|accessdate=17 March 2023}}</ref> She worked as a political correspondent for the Press Association in Westminster between 2001 and 2003.<ref>{{cite web|work=The Political Party|url=https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/766e5f56-3d0e-5372-ac75-e16054197bba|title=Show 78 – Jane Merrick|time=07:15|accessdate=17 March 2023|date=18 October 2018}}</ref> She then worked for ''The Daily Mail'' as a political correspondent between 2003 and 2008.<ref>{{cite web|work=The Political Party|url=https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/766e5f56-3d0e-5372-ac75-e16054197bba|title=Show 78 – Jane Merrick|time=03:25|accessdate=17 March 2023|date=18 October 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|work=The Political Party|url=https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/766e5f56-3d0e-5372-ac75-e16054197bba|title=Show 78 – Jane Merrick|time=03:00|accessdate=17 March 2023|date=18 October 2018}}</ref> Merrick left the newspaper to become political editor for ''The Independent on Sunday'',<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2008/nov/27/bill-blanko-thinking-juice|work=The Guardian|title=Controversial result in parliamentary pub quiz|date=27 November 2008|accessdate=17 March 2023|last=Blanko|first=Bill}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2007/dec/18/theindependent.independentonsunday|work=The Guardian|title=Independent plots Saturday revamp|date=18 December 2007|accessdate=17 March 2023}}</ref> a position she held till 2015 when she became a freelance journalist to spend more time with her daughter.<ref name=List/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/nationals/political-editors-out-at-indy-titles-whitehall-editor-promoted/|work=Press Gazette|title=Political editors out at Indy titles, Whitehall editor promoted|last=Turvill|first=William|date=22 July 2015|accessdate=17 March 2023}}</ref> She co-founded a daily news briefing email service called ''The Spoon'' which launched in 2017.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/digital-journalism/senior-political-reporters-launch-new-daily-email-called-the-spoon/|work=Press Gazette|title=Senior political journalists launch new daily email called The Spoon|last=Ponsford|first=Dominic}}</ref>
She joined the Labour Party in 2016 to support Angela Eagle's bid to become leader in the 2016 Labour Party leadership election.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/21/why-should-anyone-want-to-save-labour-when-it-clearly-doesnt-wan/|work=The Telegraph|title=Why should anyone want to save Labour when it clearly doesn't want to save itself?|date=21 July 2016|last=Merrick|first=Jane}}{{subscription required}}</ref> Merrick left Labour in 2018 due to Jeremy Corbyn's leadership and their handling of antisemitism within the party.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/b80018f2-8ba3-11e8-a0fd-e428ecc3ac12|work=The Times|date=20 July 2018|title=I cannot tolerate antisemitism so I'm leaving Labour|last=Merrick|first=Jane}}{{subscription required}}</ref>
In November 2017, then Secretary of State for Defence Michael Fallon resigned following Merrick's allegation of sexual harassment when she was a 29-year-old journalist for ''The Daily Mail'' in 2003. She had accused Fallon of lunging towards her.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/nov/04/michael-fallon-defence-secretary-sexual-harassment|work=The Observer|title=Revealed: why Michael Fallon was forced to quit as defence secretary|date=4 November 2017|last=Doward|first=Jamie}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/commentisfree/2017/nov/04/michael-fallon-lunged-at-me-jane-merrick|work=The Observer|title=I won't keep my silence: Michael Fallon lunged at me after our lunch|date=4 November 2017|last=Merrick|first=Jane}}</ref> Merrick was highlighted in ''Time''{{'}}s Person of the Year edition in the same year, which highlighted "The Silence Breakers" who spoke out against sexual harassment.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-politics-42270009|title=Time magazine person of year Jane Merrick on #MeToo|work=BBC News|date=7 December 2017}}</ref>
Merrick was named in ''The House'' magazine list of 100 most inspirational women in Westminster in 2022.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://inews.co.uk/news/is-policy-editor-jane-merrick-named-as-one-of-the-100-most-inspirational-women-in-westminster-1501550|title=I's policy editor Jane Merrick named as one of the 100 most inspirational women in Westminster|work=i|date=7 March 2022|last=McFadden|first=Brendan}}</ref>
==Personal life== Merrick is in a relationship with Toby Helm who is the political editor of ''The Observer''. They have a daughter born in 2010.<ref name=Born/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.politico.eu/article/uk-westminster-power-couples/|work=Politico Europe|date=6 September 2017|title=Westminster's power couples|last=Dickson|first=Annabelle}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{authority control}} {{Use British English|date=January 2025}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Merrick, Jane}} Category:Living people Category:1973 births Category:20th-century British women journalists Category:Alumni of the University of Leeds Category:20th-century British journalists Category:21st-century British women journalists Category:21st-century British journalists