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Iain Dale
Dale in 2009
Born	Iain Campbell Dale (1962-07-15) 15 July 1962 (age 56) Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England
Nationality	British
Alma mater	University of East Anglia
Occupation	Author, journalist, political blogger
Years active	1998–present
Home town	Saffron Walden
Political party	Conservative
Spouse(s)	John Simmons (m. 2015)
Website	Official website

Iain Campbell Dale (born 15 July 1962) is an English broadcaster, political commentator, blogger, publisher, and former Conservative candidate.

Dale is known for his British political blog Iain Dale's Diary (founded in 2002) and for his frequent appearances on UK news channels. In September 2003, he became the first openly gay Conservative candidate to contest a Parliamentary election.^[1]

Dale was the managing director of Biteback Publishing until May 2018, and was the publisher of Total Politics magazine, 2008–12.^[2] Since September 2010, he has hosted a regular, major discussion show on LBC radio station. In July 2013, he won Radio Presenter of the Year at the Arqiva Commercial Radio Awards.

Education and early career

Dale grew up in Essex, where he attended Ashdon County Primary School and Saffron Walden County High School. He obtained an upper second BA honours degree in German, Linguistics, and Teaching English as a Foreign Language from the University of East Anglia in 1985.^[3] Prior to going to university, Dale spent his gap year as a nursing assistant at the Werner Wicker Klinik in West Germany. During his degree course he spent a year teaching English at the Gymnasium in Besigheim.

Dale was research assistant to the Conservative Member of Parliament Patrick Thompson (1985–87), Public Affairs Manager for the British Ports Federation (1987–89), Financial Journalist with Lloyd's List (1989–90), and then deputy managing director of the Waterfront Partnership and managing director of the Waterfront Conference Company (1990–96).

Publisher and writer

In 1997, he opened Politico's Bookstore and Coffee House in Westminster, selling a mix of political books, memorabilia and novelty items. The shop spawned sister publishing and web design businesses using the Politico's brand. He founded Politico's Publishing in 1998, and sold it in 2003 to Methuen Publishing. In 2004, Dale announced the closure of the walk-in book shop and relocated the business to Kent as a mail-order operation. Later that year the Westminster premises re-opened as the Westminster Bookshop under the ownership of Methuen. In 2006, Dale sold the Politico's Bookstore business to Harriman House. In 2012, Dale relaunched Politico's online as part of the Biteback Publishing business. Dale was also the publisher of Total Politics magazine from June 2008 until its sale to Dods (Group) PLC in December 2012.^[2]

Dale's fortnightly comment column for The Daily Telegraph, which he began writing in February 2007, was discontinued in January 2009. He has also written for The Guardian, The Independent, GQ, The Spectator and the New Statesman.

Dale has edited or written over two dozen political books.This includes co-authoring in May 2006 a book with fellow blogger Paul Staines (responsible for the Guido Fawkes website) about alleged instances of sleaze from the Labour government since taking office in 1997.^[4] A second edition was subsequently released in June 2007.^[5]

Broadcaster

Dale was used as a stand-in presenter for London radio station LBC 97.3 during the first nine months of 2010 after doing a couple of test programmes with other journalists. He co-presented LBC's six-hour election night programme on 7 May 2010, with Gaby Hinsliff. In May and June 2010 he presented the Petrie Hosken, Clive Bull, James Max and Jeni Barnett phone in shows, and on 22 June 2010 fronted LBC's budget coverage.

In late July 2010, Dale started a six-week stint on LBC covering for Petrie Hosken and Andrew Pierce, which later turned into a regular show. Dale was the weekly evening presenter on LBC from 7 to 10 pm until March 2013, when Clive Bull took over. Dale instead replaced broadcaster James Whale as the presenter of the Drivetime show between 4 pm and 8 pm Monday to Friday. Dale continued to present the station's Sunday Politics show between 10 am and 1 pm each weekend for a further few weeks in March 2013 until Andrew Gilligan took over. On 3 September 2018 LBC changed their autumn schedule. Iain moved to evening show 7-10pm whilst Eddie Mair joined the station to take over drivetime.

Dale formerly presented Planet Politics on Oneword Radio, and occasionally appeared on Sunday Service on Radio 5 Live. He was also chief presenter on the failed internet TV station 18 Doughty Street. Dale was shortlisted for Speech Radio Programme of the Year at the 2013 Sony Radio Academy Awards, and then went on to win Radio Presenter of the Year at the 2013 Arqiva Commercial Radio Awards.

Brexit

Iain Dale voted for Brexit^[6], however he strongly denies his reasons for voting for Brexit are anything to do with immigration and more just being against the political union of EU.

Conservative candidate and blogger

In May 2005, Dale stood in the general election as Conservative candidate for Norfolk North, losing to the Liberal Democrat incumbent, Norman Lamb; Lamb was elected with a 10,000 plus majority as opposed to 483 at the previous election, which he fought against David Prior. Subsequently Dale acted as chief of staff to the losing leadership candidate David Davis in the run-up to the 2005 Conservative Party leadership campaign.^[7] In August 2006, it was confirmed that he had been added to the Conservative 'Priority List' of candidates to fight the next general election.^[8] However his ambitions were further frustrated in 2007 when he applied for the Conservative candidacy for the safe seat Maidstone and The Weald, but failed to get past the first interview stage.^[9]

In October 2009, Dale ran for selection for the Conservative safe seat of Bracknell^[10] in order to succeed Andrew MacKay, who stepped down at the 2010 general election. Dale came third in the run off ballot behind Rory Stewart and the eventual winner Dr Philip Lee.

Dale's blog, entitled Iain Dale's Diary, had been one of the most widely read political blogs in the UK. It was nominated by The Guardian for the Political Blog of the Year Award in 2005.^[11] On 17 June 2010, Dale announced on his blog that he was resigning from the Conservative Party candidates list and would not be standing at any forthcoming parliamentary election^[12] On 14 December 2010, Dale announced that he was quitting both blogging at Iain Dale's Diary and party politics.^[13][14]

In July 2011, Iain Dale started a collaborative blog site, Dale & Co, with many contributors from the political spectrum, including himself. He continues to author a blog entitled West Ham Till I Die where he writes on West Ham United.^[15]

Dale writes a weekly diary column for the website ConservativeHome^[16], where he also publishes his annual list of the '100 most influential people on the Right'^[17].

Police caution for assault

On 24 September 2013, Dale became involved in a scuffle with Manchester pensioner Stuart Holmes, an anti-nuclear protester, on the Brighton seafront.^[18] Holmes' placard had appeared on-screen behind Damian McBride, during an interview with McBride on breakfast television, coinciding with the Labour Party annual conference there.^[19] McBride, a former special advisor to Gordon Brown, is one of Dale's authors at Biteback Publishing. Dale, who was not involved in the television interview, attempted to physically remove Holmes from the shot, resulting in the two men grappling on the ground.

On 26 September, Dale accepted a police caution for the assault.^[20] Sussex Police had interviewed both men about the incident.^[21] Dale subsequently posted an apology "to Mr Holmes, Mr Miliband [Labour Party leader Ed Miliband], the Police, my family, friends and colleagues".^[22]

Personal life

Dale entered into a civil partnership with his long-term partner John Simmons on 15 June 2008 at Wadhurst Castle in East Sussex.^[23] This was converted to a marriage in 2015.^[24] They have been together since 1995. Dale has been openly gay since he was 40.^[25]

Bibliography

Iain Dale has edited/compiled/written forty books:

• 
  Unofficial Book of Political Lists, Robson Books, 1997


• 
  As I Said to Denis: The Margaret Thatcher Book of Quotations, Robson Books, 1997


• 
  The Blair Necessities, Robson Books, 1998


• 
  Bill Clinton Joke Book, Robson Books, 1998


• 
  Tony Blair New Labour Joke Book, Robson Books, 1998


• 
  Dictionary of Conservative Quotations, Politico's Publishing, 1999


• 
  Wit & Wisdom of Tony Banks, Robson Books, 1999


• 
  Labour Party General Election Manifestos 1900–97, Routledge 1999


• 
  Liberal Party General Election Manifestos 1900–97, Routledge, 1999


• 
  Conservative Party General Election Manifestos 1900–1997, Routledge, 1999


• 
  Memories of Maggie, Politico's Publishing, 2000


• 
  Tony Blair New New Labour Joke Book (2nd ed), Robson Books, 2000


• 
  Directory of Political Lobbying, Politico's Publishing, 2001


• 
  Directory of Political Websites, Politico's Publishing, 2001


• 
  Directory of Think Tank Publications, Politico's Publishing, 2001


• 
  Memories of the Falklands, Politico's Publishing, 2002


• 
  Prime Minister Portillo & Other Things That Never Happened, Politico's Publishing, 2003


• 
  Times Guides to the House of Commons 1906–10, Politico's Publishing, 2003


• 
  Times Guides to the House of Commons 1929–35, Politico's Publishing, 2003


• 
  Directory of Political Lobbying, Politico's Publishing, 2003


• 
  Politico's Book of the Dead, Politico's Publishing, 2003


• 
  Margaret Thatcher: A Tribute in Words & Pictures, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2005


• 
  Little Red Book of New Labour Sleaze, Politico's Media, 2006


• 
  Big Red Book of New Labour Sleaze, Harriman House, 2007


• 
  500 of the Most Witty, Acerbic & Erudite Things Ever Said About Politics, Harriman House, 2007


• 
  Guide to Political Blogging in the UK, Harriman House, 2007


• 
  Little Book of Boris, Harriman House, 2007


• 
  Total Politics Guide to Political Blogging 2008–9, Total Politics, 2008


• 
  Total Politics Guide to Political Blogging 2009–10, Biteback Publishing, 2009


• 
  Total Politics Guide to the General Election, Biteback Publishing, 2009


• 
  Total Politics Guide to Political Blogging 2010–11, Biteback Publishing, 2010


• 
  Margaret Thatcher: In Her Own Words, Biteback Publishing, 2010


• 
  Talking Politics: Political Conversations With Iain Dale, Biteback Publishing, 2010


• 
  West Ham United: When Football Was Football, Haynes Publishing, 2011


• 
  Prime Minister Boris and Other Things That Never Happened, Biteback Publishing, 2011


• 
  The Bigger Book of Boris, Biteback Publishing 2011


• 
  Memories of the Falklands, Biteback Publishing (March 2012)


• 
  Norwich City: When Football Was Football, Haynes Publishing (April 2012)


• 
  The Margaret Thatcher Book of Quotations, Biteback Publishing (August 2012)


• 
  The Blogfather: The Best of Iain Dale's Diary, Biteback Publishing (December 2012)


• 
  Memories of Margaret Thatcher, Biteback Publishing (April 2013)


• 
  Politico’s Guide to the 2015 General Election, Biteback Publishing (September 2014)


• 
  Seat by Seat, Biteback Publishing (February 2015)


• 
  Gay Shorts (Collected Attitude Columns), Biteback Publishing (February 2015)


• 
  The NHS: Things That Need to be Said, Elliott & Thompson (February 2015)

References

External links