Laura Kuenssberg spoke to Vogue
(Picture: Paul Wetherell)Former BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg has said receiving online hate was “a horrible little side effect” as she talked about her career ahead of a new role in the broadcaster’s prime Sunday morning politics slot.
The 46-year-old spoke to Vogue about the impact of online abuse that has plagued her career.
“We have to be alive to how horrible it can be, particularly for people starting out, and support them where we can. It drives me crazy that young people coming into the industry - and particularly young women - might look at what’s happened online and think, ‘That is not a place for me’,” she told Vogue.
Kuenssberg said abuse spiralled after fans of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn claimed the BBC star’s coverage was biased against him, to the point where she needed a bodyguard for the Labour conference in Brighton.
“If there is genuine criticism then of course you’ve got to look at that,” she told the magazine.
“But that’s different to someone who’s just getting off on being mean about a woman on the telly. It’s a horrible little side-effect, but it’s not the work.
“Some of the feedback you get from the public is so meaningful. If someone wants to slag off my top…Really?”
It comes as Ms Kuenssberg said she believed Boris Johnson’s downfall was as a result of “his personality and behaviour”.
The Spectator summer party, held in the immediate aftermath of Mr Johnson’s resignation, was “very bizarre”, she told the magazine.
“It was like being in a tropical jungle, not just because of the heat, but because they’d slain the beast who’d been pushing them all around for so long. And the next generation was prowling around, trying to build new alliances and grab the plumpest, juiciest fruit for themselves.”
Ms Kuenssberg will take over the Sunday morning political spot, hosted for the past 17 years by Andrew Marr, from September 4 with ‘Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg’.
A new format will see her give her analysis on the week’s news before setting a revolving panel of experts a clear question to answer.
“It’s such an honour to take over because it’s where people go for that big-picture understanding,” she told Vogue.
“Right now people are going: ‘Why are my bills so high? Why is it so hard to make ends meet? How is it going to end in Ukraine?Are we safe as a country?
“The public’s got really big questions and demands from the political class – things that need to be done and things that need to be answered for them.”
When she takes over from Marr she will become the first woman to permanently host the show, which has previously pulled in nearly two million people each Sunday.
Ms Kuenssberg believes positive progress has been made within the culture of Westminster during her time covering the nation’s politics.
She claims inappropiate behaviour is being “taken more seriously”.
“Is it a perfect working environment? Absolutely not. Is it an accurate mirror of the country we all live in? Absolutely not. But is it more open now than it was when I started? Yes.”
