Broadcaster Paul Rowley is back on air tonight reporting on his 14th General Election, half a century since his first.
The former BBC Political Correspondent left the corporation two and a half years ago after 28 years as BBC Local Radio’s voice at Westminster.
He returns to his old role this evening, broadcasting throughout the night across the BBC’s 40 Local Radio stations, something he’s done for the last seven General Elections.
“It’s great to be back” says Paul. “General Elections are in my blood. I reckon only the Dimblebys (Richard, David and Jonathan) have done more than me. I suspect I may even have covered more than the BBC’s election guru Professor Sir John Curtice, but I was very young when I started”.
He’ll provide live updates of the national picture into the BBC Central News Service (CNS) bulletins from 2200 when polling closes. He’ll then go live into many of the “Your Voice, Your Vote” programmes which are being carried across local radio though till 0600 tomorrow morning.
“I’m even broadcasting from my old desk at the BBC’s studios at Westminster”, says Rowley, who covered Tony Blair’s three General Election victories from 1997 onwards, the coalition Government of 2010, and the subsequent Conservative victories in 2015, 2017 and 2019. “I think I’m probably using the same ISDN kit”.
His first General Election was as a teenage student in February 1974 on a one year pre-entry NCTJ (National Council for the Training of Journalists) course at Preston Polytechnic, reporting for the college newspaper. “I covered a rally at Preston Guild Hall which was addressed by the Labour leader Harold Wilson. A little over a week later he displaced Ted Heath as Prime Minister in a minority Government. It was the lead story in the student magazine. To be honest, I wasn’t that interested in politics at the time, I had eyes on being a music or a sports reporter. I never thought I’d spend so much of my subsequent life as a political specialist”.
That summer Rowley began his newspaper career on Sefton Newspapers on Merseyside, and in October he was covering a second General Election when Harold Wilson went back to the country to secure a full majority. “I was so naïve in those days I presumed there were two elections every year. But it was certainly a great experience at such a young age.”
He moved to Liverpool’s first commercial station Radio City in 1977, becoming its Local Government Editor, covering Margaret Thatcher’s three General Election victories in 1979, 1983 and 1987. He then joined Independent Radio News as Political Correspondent, following John Major around the country when he won the 1992 General Election.
“It’s been a great life” says Rowley. “I’ve also covered nine European elections, five American Presidential elections in Washington, and more than forty years of council elections. I’ve also interviewed ten Prime Ministers, not including the last two who entered Downing Street after I’d left the BBC”.
“Many people may think it odd, but I don’t have political opinions, though I’ve got strong views about broadcasting. I’ve had good contacts in all the parties over the years. I see my role as simply reporting things and trying to make sense of it all”.
And what’s the secret of getting through another long election night ? “Plenty of satsumas. A dozen salmon sandwiches. And gallons of strong tea. They’ve kept me going for most of my previous elections. I’m not changing my routine for this one”.
