Rod Liddle was a funny and fearless columnist who held our political class to account. A true voice of common sense

ROD LIDDLE, one of the most fearless journalists of his generation, has died at the age of 66. Tributes have flooded in for The Sun columnist, who stood up for free speech throughout his career. Fearless Sun columnist Rod Liddle has died at the age of 66 Credit: Francesco Guidicini Brit journalist Rod, pictured earlier in his career, stood up for free speech Credit: Camera Press Liddle said the unsayable — and welcomed the flak that followed. Never one to toe the party line, he was both a fierce critic of woke culture and a defender of the downtrodden. Sign up for the Showbiz newsletter Thank you! The working-class writer, who grew up in the North East, took aim at high levels of immigration, but also wore a burka on the streets of Canterbury to expose rising Islamophobia in 2013. When the father-of-three stood as a candidate for the Social Democratic Party at the 2024 election, he joked that he was disappointed not to have been “milkshaked” like Nigel Farage. He lost his job as editor of Radio 4’s Today in 2002 for expressing his revulsion at bloodsports in a newspaper article, for which the BBC felt he had breached impartiality rules. During four decades in journalism, Rod won a number of broadcasting awards, wrote several books and made TV documentaries. He died on Sunday evening at the James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough, after a short illness. Victoria Newton, The Sun’s Editor-in-Chief, said: “Rod was a brilliant, fearless columnist who was much loved by all at The Sun. Most read in Showbiz Rod even once played his part for The Sun’s Dear Deidre column Credit: Gary Stone – The Sun Rod started out at 16 as a reporter on the South Wales Echo Credit: Collect “A champion of Press freedom, no topic was off-limits, and his writing — as funny as it was excoriating — was simply exceptional. “A terrific observer of the frailties of our political class, he will be remembered for his razor-sharp wit and for his huge intellect. “But on The Sun floor he will also be remembered for his warmth and humour and for the belly laughs we had at his wildly entertaining lunches and dinners where he would hold court. He will be hugely missed.” Rod had written for The Times since 2003, before joining The Sunday Times as a columnist in 2005 and The Sun in 2011. He was also an associate editor at The Spectator. Rebekah Brooks, CEO of News UK, said: “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. Our thoughts and sincerest condolences are with his family and loved ones.” Robert Thomson, Chief Executive Officer of News Corp and a former editor of The Times, said: “Rod was puckishly profound and profoundly puckish. “We were determined back in 2003 that he should bring his intellectual energy and lateral wit to The Times, and his wisdom and whimsy have echoed around our company and the world ever since. “Rod’s resonance will surely echo for many, many years to come.” Piers Morgan was quick to hail Rod as a “true voice of common sense”. He said: “One of Britain’s most fearless, funny and fabulously entertaining journalists. Rod was born in Sidcup, in South London, in 1960 Rod, pictured in the Times Radio studio, lost his job as editor of Radio 4’s Today in 2002 for expressing his revulsion at bloodsports Credit: Times Media Ltd “Loved reading his brilliantly original columns, and listening to his combative but always well-informed rants on the airwaves. “A true voice of common sense, and great character.” Michael Gove, Editor at The Spectator, said: “Rod Liddle was a journalist of genius. “In the tradition of Swift, Cobbett and Orwell, he was a satirist who found society’s most sensitive spots and made merciless fun of our follies. “He was always fearless, could be achingly funny and while he had an adamantine core of principle he could also surprise. He had a deep love of England, of its culture and in particular the common sense of its working class. “He was also a master of the written word. He was very much loved by those who knew him. No words we can summon can capture our loss.” Born in Sidcup, in South London, in 1960, Rod’s family moved to the North East when he was eight. He went to Guisborough Comprehensive, in Cleveland, where he had very left-wing opinions and was known as “Mad Liddle”. At 16, he became a member of the Socialist Workers Party and, after his A-levels, joined the South Wales Echo, in Cardiff, as a trainee. He attended the London School of Economics as a mature student and, after graduating with a degree in social psychology, he worked as a researcher for the Labour Party. But Rod became disillusioned by the “control-freakery” of the Party and its repeated defeats at the ballot box during the Eighties. It was while working in the lobby in Parliament that he applied for a job as a producer at the BBC’s flagship political radio show, Today. Rod in Warminster near his home in 2003 Credit: Alamy Working-class writer Rod grew up in the North East and lived in Saltburn, North Yorks Credit: Times Media Ltd Rod had never listened to the programme and had to ask its presenter, Jim Naughtie, what it was about. He swiftly rose up the ranks, being promoted to editor in 1998. With a pierced ear, a Bob Geldof-style haircut and a guitarist in a band, Rod was like nothing the buttoned-up public broadcaster had ever experienced before. Presenter Sue MacGregor said he looked like a “rather exhausted member of a rock group” and her colleague, John Humphrys, commented “he’s the most off-the-wall editor we’ve ever had”. Rod improved the show’s investigative journalism and added pop culture reports alongside big-name interviews. He defended his team’s right to robustly interrogate politicians and was willing to air opposing views. Rod said: “All we want to do is find out the truth.” Under his stewardship, Today won Sony Radio Academy Awards and an Amnesty International Media Award. But it was his forthright opinions that led him to be ousted from the show after four years as editor. The BBC said his 2002 column in the Guardian newspaper, which ridiculed supporters of the pro-fox hunting Countryside Alliance, did not align with its “obligation to be impartial”. Auntie’s loss was News UK’s gain. Alongside his columns in The Sunday Times and The Sun, Rod wrote a non-fiction books Selfish Whining Monkeys and The Great Betrayal: The True Story Of Brexit. He was no less controversial on TV. His 2005 Channel 4 documentary, Immigration Is A Time Bomb, which argued high-immigration rates risked social unrest, drew criticism, as did his Dispatches episode, The New Fundamentalists, about Christian zealouts. Rod was a strong opponent of transgender ideology back when it was unpopular to stand up for women’s rights. Rod once walked the streets of Canterbury in a burka for The Sun Credit: Peter Jordan – The Sun Liddle at his home in Wiltshire in 2009 Credit: John Lawrence Yet his views were rarely predictable and were often misunderstood. He faced backlash from left-wing commentators after walking the streets of Canterbury in a burka, for a stunt in The Sun in 2013. As he pointed out, he did it “to see what level of Islamophobic abuse and discrimination I suffered from the infidel locals.” In his inimitable style, Rod took a light-hearted approach to a serious issue. He objected to the full veil, which was “the subjugation of women”, while joking that he looked like Darth Vader. And even though he didn’t like the burka, he explained: “I don’t think we should BAN them. “If we are a free country — and I’m beginning to have my doubts — you should be free to wear what you like.” His contentious views triggered death threats, but as a lifelong Millwall supporter, he took a “no one likes us and we don’t care” approach to his critics. He revelled in the South London team’s reputation for causing trouble, joking that the reason he became a fan might have been “the bloke who tried to brick the ref.” Twice married, Rod leaves behind three children Wilder, Tyler and Emmy. In a statement they said: “He raised us much as you might imagine, to be inquisitive, brave and always humourous. “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.” Rod simply irreplaceable By Trevor Kavanagh NEWSPAPER pundits are ten a penny. They come and they go, often without trace. The Sun’s Rod Liddle by contrast is simply irreplaceable. Rod’s tragic and untimely death at 66 robs us of a controversial, caustic, but crucial, voice on the madness that is modern Britain. His weekly columns, much missed in recent times, took a fiercely hilarious poke at the cant and hypocrisy of our country’s polarised politics. He loved to flirt with danger, deliberately skating on thin ice over such explosive issues as gender, race and religion. “His columns make the hair stand up on the back of your neck,” said one veteran editor. They also made us laugh out loud — a rare and precious talent. Our star columnist would have been deeply moved by the expressions of public grief as the shock news of his death broke yesterday afternoon. Tributes more usually associated with the death of a famous pop star flashed non-stop across our screens. Rod earned their affection by speaking in their name, pricking the pomposity of po-faced trans-fanatics and puncturing the absurdity of Gay Pride pro-Gaza marchers. His prolific views on race, immigration and multiculturalism constantly landed him in hot water, his favourite spot. His far-sighted 2005 Channel 4 documentary, Immigration Is A Time Bomb, was denounced by race warriors. Liddle’s columns on politics, football — he was a Millwall supporter — and rock ’n’ roll won fierce loyalty from his readers of The Sun, the Spectator, The Sunday Times and Times Radio where he had a regular Saturday slot. I like to claim a hand in his popular role as a newspaper columnist, suggesting his first column for The Sun in 2011. But he soon eclipsed me and would have been a star in any publication that chose to use his material. His first outing was a typically ferocious attack on the BBC over the Jimmy Savile scandal, headlined “Liar, liar, Aunt’s on Fire”. Rod’s criticism was all the more effective because of his experience as a precociously young editor of BBC’s Radio 4 Today programme. Rod parted company with the Beeb in 2002 when executives tried to ban him from writing newspaper articles clashing with broadcasting policy. Liddle was proudly working class, starting out at 16 as a reporter on the South Wales Echo where he wrote his first column, about rock music. But he was formidably bright and took a degree in social psychology as a mature student at the London School of Economics. His politics began on the far left, first with the Socialist Workers Party, then as a mainstream Labour supporter and speechwriter for the party’s front bench. But he joined the breakaway Social Democratic Party in 2019 and wrote a satirical column suggesting the general election be held on a Muslim religious holiday to reduce the Labour vote. Perhaps surprisingly, given his scepticism, he was a practising Christian and wrote extensively about faith, not least Islam. He was also a big softie, a lifelong animal rights campaigner who detested the hunting of foxes, fish, hares, and badgers for pleasure. For Rod Liddle his right to say so and to write about them in a free Press was sacred. We will miss him enormously. Sun Columnist Rod shared his thoughts on Burnham becoming PM Rod wasn’t afraid to call out the Government’s asylum policies Rod was keen to point out the sort of PM the country really needs – and the sort it doesn’t Liddle’s views on former Chancellor ‘bodge it’ Rachel Reeves