Sunday Times and Sun columnist Rod Liddle dies aged 66

By Laura Harding, Press Association Entertainment Editor

Journalist and broadcaster Rod Liddle has died after a short illness at the age of 66.

Liddle was a high-profile columnist on The Sunday Times and The Sun, and had a weekly column in The Spectator, as well as a Times Radio show.

His children, Wilder, Tyler and Emmy, said in a statement: “We’re all very saddened and shocked at the sudden passing of our wonderful father.

“He raised us much as you might imagine, to be inquisitive, brave and always humorous.

“Even in hospital in the last few weeks, he consistently held the room and never let the awful situation show.

“He has left a legacy that we are all incredibly proud of, he will always be our guide on how to live an extraordinary life.”

Liddle died at The James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough on Sunday evening.

Rebekah Brooks, chief executive of News UK, said: “Everyone at News UK is deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the sudden death of Rod Liddle.

“Rod was an inimitable journalistic force, brilliant, provocative and immensely talented, whose sharp wit and uncompromising voice graced our pages and airwaves for decades.

“Whether writing for The Sunday Times and The Sun or broadcasting on Times Radio, he challenged conventional thinking and left an indelible mark on British journalism.

“Rod will be greatly missed by all his friends and colleagues at News, as well as by his many readers, listeners and viewers.

“Our thoughts and sincerest condolences are with his family and loved ones.”

Liddle, a former editor of BBC Radio 4’s flagship Today programme, was no stranger to controversy over the course of his career and was the first journalist to have an online blog censured by the press watchdog.

In 2010 a complaint was upheld by the Press Complaints Commission after the writer and columnist claimed on the Spectator website that the “overwhelming majority” of violent crime in London was carried out by young Afro-Caribbean men.

It was while he was editor of Today that Liddle hired Andrew Gilligan, the BBC journalist whose 2003 report claimed the UK government “sexed up” its dossier on Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction.

Liddle left the BBC before Gilligan’s controversial report was broadcast.

He was subsequently a vocal critic of Lord Hutton’s report into the death of weapons expert Dr David Kelly, which cleared the Government of exaggerating the case for war in Iraq.

Liddle also made headlines for his colourful private life, when he left his partner of 11 years, Rachel Royce, with whom he had two children, for his 23-year-old mistress.

The estranged couple waged a public war of words over his affair with Alicia Munckton, a former receptionist at the Spectator magazine.

Liddle went on to present a programme about infidelity, arguing that men are genetically pre-programmed to be unfaithful.

Known for his controversial views, Liddle sparked multiple accusations of misogyny and racism with his columns in The Spectator.

The magazine was prosecuted in 2012 for breaching a court order over an article written by Liddle during the trial of Stephen Lawrence’s killers.

The article claimed the two defendants would not get a fair trial.

The magazine paid a fine of £3,000 plus £2,000 in compensation after pleading guilty to breaching a court order during the case.

In 2019, Liddle used his column to suggest planning elections for a time when Muslims cannot vote.

He used the same column to apparently mock Labour MP Rosie Duffield, who spoke out about a previous abusive relationship she had while discussing domestic abuse legislation.