In a letter published in The Times on March 21, Alistair Lexden added an historical point to the controversy aroused by George Osborne’s appointment as editor of the Evening Standard.
Sir, Lloyd George would not have thought much of George Osborne becoming editor of the Evening Standard. The Welsh wizard’s view was that if a leading politician went into journalism his place was at the very top. In the last phase of his premiership in 1922, he told his mistress, Frances Stevenson, that he would not mind resigning if he could become editor of The Times at a decent salary. Shortly afterwards,when the paper was put up for sale, he got a group of rich friends to bid for it so that he could have the editorship, but they were pipped by the Astors.
Lord Lexden
House of Lords