Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s communications director Allegra Stratton will be appointed as prime minister Boris Johnson’s spokeswoman for televised briefings, a government source has said.
Downing Street has not commented on the appointment of the former ITV News editor to the new role.
The announcement comes after No 10 narrowed the number of candidates to fill the role to five in late September.
Other names being touted were ITV reporter turned special adviser Angus Walker and The Telegraph‘s associate editor Camilla Tominey and Chloe Westley, who is an adviser to the prime minister.
Others bookies were looking at were current Downing Street communications director Lee Cain, Question Time presenter Fiona Bruce, and BBC diplomatic correspondent James Landale.
Stratton is a former Newsnight editor.
She will be leading daily updates, similar to the format used by the White House in the United States, which are expected to start later this month.
The prime minister has said the briefings will allow the public more “direct engagement” with the government.
The change comes after a raft of televised press conferences from Downing Street during the coronavirus pandemic.
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