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Sam Coates

Sam Coates is a political serving as Deputy Political Editor at , where he reports on breaking news, conducts exclusive interviews, and provides analysis from . He joined in June 2019 after nearly two decades at , where he began as a graduate trainee in 2000, worked across the diary, foreign desk, and general reporting, and advanced to deputy political editor by May 2019. Coates has covered pivotal developments in British politics since joining the Westminster lobby team in 2005, including the transition from to , the , tensions within the , and the lead-up to and aftermath of —aside from a stint as Banking Editor in 2012. He has reported on seven general elections and three referendums, earning recognition such as the 2005 Laurence Stern Fellowship, which enabled him to work at covering the and Hurricane Katrina's impact in New Orleans. In addition to broadcast and print journalism, Coates co-hosts the daily Politics at Sam and Anne's with , offering previews of key political events in under 20 minutes.

Personal background

Early life

Sam Coates was born in and identifies as English. Publicly available information on his family background, upbringing, or specific childhood experiences remains limited, with no verifiable details on parental influences or early exposures to politics or current events documented in reputable sources.

Education

Sam Coates attended the from 1997 to 2000. He graduated with a degree, a qualification typical for undergraduates completing the standard three-year program at the . The university's , emphasizing rigorous analysis of complex social and political structures, aligned with the demands of political by cultivating evidence-based evaluation of and events.

Journalistic career

Initial roles and

Coates joined The Times in 2000 as a graduate trainee, initially contributing to the diary column, the foreign desk, and general reporting duties. In 2005, he was awarded the Laurence Stern Fellowship, enabling a summer placement at The Washington Post, where he reported on the George W. Bush White House and covered the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Returning to The Times, Coates shifted focus to Westminster politics starting in 2005, with a brief stint as banking editor in 2012; by 2009, he held the position of chief political correspondent. During this period, he contributed to in-depth political coverage as part of the newspaper's lobby team, including early blogging on political missteps such as London Mayor Livingstone's 2008 remarks to an reporter. Coates progressed to deputy political editor by May 2019, building expertise through consistent reporting on parliamentary affairs, policy announcements, and electoral developments grounded in sourced details rather than unsubstantiated narratives.

Move to

In February 2019, announced the appointment of Sam Coates as its deputy political editor, following the promotion of to political editor. Coates departed from his role as deputy political editor at in May 2019, after 19 years with the newspaper, and formally joined in June 2019. This transition occurred amid a broader evolution in the media landscape, where broadcasters increasingly prioritized live, real-time political analysis to meet audience demand for instantaneous coverage of fast-paced events, contrasting with the more deliberative pace of print journalism. The move positioned Coates at the forefront of broadcast scrutiny during a turbulent period in British politics, including the final throes of Theresa May's premiership, her resignation on 24 May 2019, and the ensuing leadership contest won by on 23 July 2019. leadership highlighted Coates' established expertise in breaking stories as a key factor in the hire, signaling an intent to bolster the channel's on-air political reporting capabilities amid heightened public interest in and domestic upheaval. The shift from print deadlines to the immediacy of required adaptation to unscripted formats and split-second delivery, though specific personal reflections from Coates on this adjustment remain undocumented in contemporaneous reports. This career marked a strategic from newspaper scoops to a platform enabling wider dissemination of political insights through visual media, aligning with the 2019 intensification of 24-hour news cycles driven by ongoing extensions and parliamentary gridlock.

Key responsibilities and coverage at

As Deputy Political Editor at , Sam Coates focuses on real-time reporting, including live analysis of parliamentary proceedings, exclusive interviews with senior politicians, and breakdowns of empirical data such as polling trends and policy outcomes. His duties encompass daily contributions to flagship programs, where he dissects causal factors behind political shifts, such as voter realignments evidenced by surveys projecting as the largest party in a potential with 311 seats, based on September 2025 modeling. Coates has conducted pointed interviews across administrations, including challenging London Mayor on October 23, 2025, over shortfalls in affordable housing targets amid a claimed "" of constraints. He has similarly probed leadership on transparency, contributing to September 2024 investigations revealing Keir Starmer's declarations of over £100,000 in gifts and hospitality—the highest among MPs—via the Accounts project, which highlighted repayments exceeding £6,000 following public scrutiny. In coverage, Coates exclusively disclosed on October 5, 2025, the of Conservative donor —previously a supporter of Badenoch's leadership bid—to , underscoring donor mobility amid party funding pressures during the Conservative conference. His reporting extends to policy, where he identified in May 2025 a governmental hesitancy in openly debating net levels despite 20,000 Channel crossings post-Labour's July 2024 election win, and provided post-event analysis of ' September 2025 Immigration Debate, emphasizing public concern rankings from data placing asylum and immigration atop voter priorities. On economic fronts, Coates examined Jaguar Land Rover's September 2025 production shutdown from a cyber attack—halting output for weeks and threatening suppliers—questioning whether Labour's policy environment, including risks from U.S. trade shifts, amplified operational vulnerabilities beyond technical failures. This approach prioritizes verifiable metrics, such as October 2025 findings showing two-thirds of members favoring an electoral pact with , over partisan framing, while holding administrations accountable through cross-party scrutiny.

Media contributions beyond broadcasting

Podcast hosting

Sam Coates co-hosts the daily podcast Politics At Sam and Anne's with , executive editor at , offering a concise guide—typically under 20 minutes—to forthcoming developments in British politics. The partnership, renewed in March 2025 with McElvoy joining as a full-time host alongside Coates ( deputy political editor), evolved from an earlier iteration co-hosted with Politico's Jack Blanchard and has earned awards for its insider analysis. Episodes emphasize policy implications drawn from recent events, distributed via platforms including , , and Global Player. Recent installments have dissected high-profile issues, such as the October 13, 2025, episode examining the collapsed espionage trial's repercussions for , including questions over influences shaping UK- ties and potential "" elements in British institutions. On immigration, episodes like the September 22, 2025, analysis of UK's proposal to eliminate critiqued Farage's deportation blueprint, weighing logistical hurdles against voter-driven policy instincts amid Labour's migration challenges. Coverage of UK's rising influence, including threats to Conservative positioning and Truss's October 2025 comments on the party's opposition potential, incorporates perspectives on its electoral gains without deferring to narratives. The format facilitates extended policy debates beyond live broadcast limits, prioritizing data-informed scrutiny of government actions—like Labour's economic stewardship under —while engaging diverse viewpoints to counter prevailing framings. This approach has broadened listener access, with s accruing ratings around 4.3 on aggregate platforms, fostering discourse on causal policy outcomes over partisan orthodoxy.

Published works and analysis

Coates contributed extensively to The Times as deputy political editor from 2008 to 2019, authoring articles that dissected UK political maneuvers, including coalition government dynamics and leadership contests, drawing on insider sources to expose discrepancies between public statements and internal deliberations. His reporting emphasized verifiable details, such as vote tallies in parliamentary rebellions and policy cost estimates, often highlighting fiscal shortfalls that contradicted optimistic government projections. At , Coates has published analytical pieces focusing on and electoral data, distinguishing them from on-air commentary by incorporating quantitative assessments. For instance, in a 2022 analysis, he detailed how Liz Truss's proposed tax cuts would leave billions in unfunded liabilities, citing forecasts and market reactions to underscore the risks of unoffset reductions. Similarly, his 2024 piece on Rachel Reeves's fiscal statement warned of impending measures beyond initial announcements, based on observed spending trajectories and borrowing data. A standout contribution is the 2023 Westminster Accounts project, co-developed with , which aggregated and visualized ' public financial disclosures to reveal over £10 million in external earnings, including consultancies and directorships, thereby illuminating conflicts of interest through empirical aggregation rather than anecdotal claims. This data-driven tool challenged opaque practices in parliamentary , prompting scrutiny of how second jobs influenced legislative priorities. Coates's analyses consistently prioritize such evidence over narrative framing, critiquing instances of governmental understatement on budget deficits and migration impacts.

Reporting style and public perception

Achievements and notable scoops

Coates earned the Scoop of the Year award at the 2025 RTS Television Awards for his investigative reporting on political finances. He also received recognition through the RTS for the Westminster Accounts series, which examined the influence of money in politics, including MPs' external earnings exceeding £17 million annually—equivalent to 17 times the national average hourly wage. In October 2025, Coates broke the story of Mark Gallagher's defection from the to ; Gallagher had donated to Badenoch's leadership campaign and served as her personal adviser, highlighting internal fragmentation ahead of the . Through the Westminster Accounts initiative in September 2024, Coates revealed that had declared gifts and hospitality worth over £100,000 since entering Parliament—the highest total among all MPs, more than twice that of the next highest—fueling debates on and donor influence in Labour's inner circle. His on-the-ground scrutiny extended to migration policy, where he interrogated Starmer on reducing net migration amid public concerns over an "island of strangers" and pressed leader on capping essential skilled inflows while scrutinizing manifesto gaps in enforcement. These efforts contributed to broader discourse by dissecting polls showing potentially surging to lead , alongside data affirming as voters' top issue.

Criticisms and controversies

In May 2022, amid the Partygate scandal involving alleged lockdown breaches by government officials, Coates attracted criticism for aggressively shouting questions at Prime Minister and senior Conservative MPs, including queries about lying to and obstructing the Sue Gray report. Observers in right-leaning outlets described the approach as unprofessional, likening it to "yob" behavior that prioritized confrontation over decorum. However, left-leaning and centrist commentators defended it as a necessary display of journalistic tenacity, arguing it exemplified holding power accountable during revelations of rule-breaking at . The incident went viral, highlighting debates over whether such zeal enhances scrutiny or devolves into spectacle. During a December 17, 2021, , Johnson rebuked Coates for posing a question about resigning if it served the nation's or party's interests, accusing him of violating journalism's "" by fixating on scandals rather than successes like economic recovery efforts. Johnson contended this media emphasis distorted public focus away from substantive governance achievements. Coates maintained the line of inquiry was relevant amid ongoing investigations into party gatherings, underscoring tensions between political figures seeking narrative control and reporters pursuing . Accusations of bias have surfaced sporadically, often from Conservative sympathizers during periods of heavy Tory scrutiny, portraying Coates as overly adversarial toward the right; conversely, isolated left-leaning voices have critiqued perceived leniency toward , though these claims remain anecdotal and unsubstantiated by patterns in his reporting. Evidence of balance includes his direct challenges to Labour leaders, such as questioning Keir on migration efficacy and fiscal implications in May 2025. Coates's coverage has probed donation influences across parties, including Conservative funding ties and Labour's union links, without favoring one side. No systemic partiality is evident in verifiable outputs, and his exposés—such as leaks on across administrations—demonstrate consistent pursuit of irrespective of ruling party. Coates has avoided major personal scandals, with controversies largely confined to stylistic clashes reflecting broader media-political frictions rather than ethical lapses. Critics questioning his affiliations, given Sky News's mainstream positioning, offer no concrete evidence of compromised , as his scoops have targeted insiders from multiple governments.

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