Fraser Nelson has narrated this article for you to listen to.
In the late summer of 2009, Andrew Neil invited me to his villa in the Côte d’Azur but didn’t say why. I was mystified. I was then political editor of The Spectator and in eight years of working closely with Andrew, the then chairman, he’d never hinted that he saw me as an editor. I certainly didn’t see myself as one. I was just a writer who knew nothing about how magazines were made. I’d never written a headline and didn’t even have a desk in the office. I wouldn’t know where to start.
We put a notice on our fridge asking staff to make sure that two bottles of Pol Roger were chilling at all times
But when Andrew offered me the job, I heard myself saying yes. Did I think I was good enough? Not even close.
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