# Dan Hodges
**Dan Hodges** (Daniel Pearce Jackson Hodges, born 1969) is a British political columnist who has written a weekly column for *The Mail on Sunday* since March 2016, having previously written for *The Daily Telegraph* and the *New Statesman*[1](https://www.thelondonwire.co.uk/dan-hodges/). He is the son of the actress and Labour Member of Parliament Glenda Jackson[1](https://www.thelondonwire.co.uk/dan-hodges/), and is known for commentary that crosses party lines: a long-standing Labour member who has joined and left the party twice, he voted for the Conservative Boris Johnson in the [2012 London mayoral election](https://www.edgepedia.org/2012-london-mayoral-election)[2](https://www.triggerpod.co.uk/p/dan-hodges).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name and birth | Daniel Pearce Jackson Hodges, born 1969 in Lewisham, London[1](https://www.thelondonwire.co.uk/dan-hodges/) |
| Parents | Glenda Jackson, actress and Labour MP for more than twenty years, and Roy Hodges, a stage manager and actor[1](https://www.thelondonwire.co.uk/dan-hodges/) |
| Education | Edge Hill College, Ormskirk, English Literature and Communications, 1987–1990[1](https://www.thelondonwire.co.uk/dan-hodges/) |
| Current post | Weekly columnist, *The Mail on Sunday*, since March 2016[1](https://www.thelondonwire.co.uk/dan-hodges/) |
| Earlier outlets | *New Statesman*, *Daily Telegraph*, Labour Uncut blog[3](https://www.orwellfoundation.com/longlists/dan-hodges/) |
| Award | Political Commentator of the Year, 2017[4](https://www.edgehill.ac.uk/event/in-conversation-with-dan-hodges/) |
| Book | *One Minute To Ten* (2015), an inside account of the 2015 general election[5](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/dan-hodges.html) • [6](https://westernbusiness.co.uk/dan-hodges/) |
## Early life and education
Hodges was born in Lewisham, London, to [Glenda Jackson](https://www.edgepedia.org/glenda-jackson) and Roy Hodges, who was a stage manager and actor in a repertory theater company[1](https://www.thelondonwire.co.uk/dan-hodges/). He studied English Literature and Communications at Edge Hill College in Ormskirk, Lancashire, from 1987 to 1990, and the university later welcomed him back as an alumnus for a public conversation on political journalism in November 2023[1](https://www.thelondonwire.co.uk/dan-hodges/) • [4](https://www.edgehill.ac.uk/event/in-conversation-with-dan-hodges/).
## Political work before journalism
From 1992 to 1997 Hodges worked as a parliamentary researcher for his mother, an experience he has described as "pure nepotism"[4](https://www.edgehill.ac.uk/event/in-conversation-with-dan-hodges/) • [7](https://westernbusiness.co.uk/dan-hodges/). He then moved through public relations and communications roles for the Road Haulage Association, the GMB trade union, and the Freedom to Fly lobbying group[7](https://westernbusiness.co.uk/dan-hodges/). Edge Hill University's profile of him adds that over two decades he also worked as a Labour Party official and as director of communications for [Transport for London](https://www.edgepedia.org/transport-for-london) under [Ken Livingstone](https://www.edgepedia.org/ken-livingstone)[8](https://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2023/11/leading-political-commentator-and-alumnus-dan-hodges-returns-to-edge-hill-university/).
## Columnist career
Hodges began freelancing for the *New Statesman* and the *Daily Telegraph*, and in 2011 was listed by the Orwell Foundation as Commissioning Editor of the Labour Uncut blog and a recent addition to the *New Statesman*'s bloggers[3](https://www.orwellfoundation.com/longlists/dan-hodges/). His profile rose quickly: in 2013 James Forsyth, writing in *The Spectator*, described him as "the new favourite columnist of David Cameron"[1](https://www.thelondonwire.co.uk/dan-hodges/). In March 2016 he began writing a weekly column for *The Mail on Sunday*, where he continues to write[1](https://www.thelondonwire.co.uk/dan-hodges/). He also appears as a commentator on [Sky News](https://www.edgepedia.org/sky-news) and is a regular commenter on X[9](https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmjournl/180125/register.pdf) • [4](https://www.edgehill.ac.uk/event/in-conversation-with-dan-hodges/).
His 2015 book *One Minute To Ten* examined the 2015 general election through the campaigns of [David Cameron](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-cameron), Ed Miliband, and [Nick Clegg](https://www.edgepedia.org/nick-clegg)[5](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/dan-hodges.html) • [6](https://westernbusiness.co.uk/dan-hodges/). In January 2016 he ran down [Whitehall](https://www.edgepedia.org/whitehall) in his underwear after losing a bet on Ukip's election performance, raising £1,000 for charity[10](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/video/2016/jan/07/journalist-dan-hodges-runs-semi-naked-through-westminster-after-losing-ukip-bet-video).
## Notable reporting and recognition
**Westminster scoops.** A Press Awards citation credits Hodges with taking the lead in chronicling [Boris Johnson](https://www.edgepedia.org/boris-johnson)'s fall from power and [Liz Truss](https://www.edgepedia.org/liz-truss)'s rise and implosion; in December 2021 he was the first senior journalist to tip Truss for Downing Street, and in early January 2022 he predicted a leadership challenge against Johnson[11](https://www.thepressawards.com/finalists/dan-hodges-l0059). When the Chris Pincher scandal broke, Hodges reported that Johnson had told senior aides in early 2020, "The thing about Chris is he's handsy. That's a problem." The report, jointly by-lined with Mail on Sunday Political Editor Glen Owen, was cited at [Prime Minister's Questions](https://www.edgepedia.org/prime-ministers-questions) and led the Prime Minister's spokesman to admit Johnson had been warned previously about claims relating to Pincher; Press Gazette listed it among three stories relating to the scandal that "changed the course of history"[11](https://www.thepressawards.com/finalists/dan-hodges-l0059).
He was named Political Commentator of the Year in 2017[4](https://www.edgehill.ac.uk/event/in-conversation-with-dan-hodges/), and a later Press Awards citation praised columns including one on the Red Wall and another, a tribute to his mother after her death, arguing that the NHS was being betrayed by a lack of coherent management[12](https://www.thepressawards.com/finalists/dan-hodges-exjjjymuwflskaq).
## Political positions
Hodges is often described as a Blairite, supporting the centrist Labour politics associated with [Tony Blair](https://www.edgepedia.org/tony-blair), and he has been a persistent critic of [Jeremy Corbyn](https://www.edgepedia.org/jeremy-corbyn) and of elements of [Keir Starmer](https://www.edgepedia.org/keir-starmer)'s leadership[13](https://leedsjournal.co.uk/dan-hodges/). In 2012, while a Labour member, he voted for Boris Johnson in the London mayoral election, calling the Labour candidate Ken Livingstone "a disgrace"; the following year he published a piece in the *Daily Telegraph* arguing in favor of the censorship of government whistleblowers[2](https://www.triggerpod.co.uk/p/dan-hodges). He announced his 2015 departure from the Labour Party in the pages of the *Daily Telegraph*, having left, rejoined, and left again[4](https://www.edgehill.ac.uk/event/in-conversation-with-dan-hodges/). In 2015 he supported Yvette Cooper for the Labour leadership[5](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/dan-hodges.html).
His independence from party lines is a recurring theme in assessments of his work. The Press Awards citation describes him as "proudly and defiantly independent of political tribes and of his own paper's editorial view"[11](https://www.thepressawards.com/finalists/dan-hodges-l0059), while his own Muck Rack profile quotes critics' labels alongside the note that he "didn't attend private school" and "mingled with Tories"[14](https://muckrack.com/dpjhodges).
## References
1. [Dan Hodges: Who is Glenda Jackson's Son? The London Wire](https://www.thelondonwire.co.uk/dan-hodges/)
2. [Dan Hodges, TRIGGERnometry](https://www.triggerpod.co.uk/p/dan-hodges)
3. [Dan Hodges, The Orwell Foundation](https://www.orwellfoundation.com/longlists/dan-hodges/)
4. [In Conversation with Dan Hodges, Edge Hill University](https://www.edgehill.ac.uk/event/in-conversation-with-dan-hodges/)
5. [Dan Hodges, Famous Birthdays](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/dan-hodges.html)
6. [Dan Hodges: Fearless Voice of British Politics, Western Business](https://westernbusiness.co.uk/dan-hodges/)
7. [Dan Hodges: A Leading Voice in British Journalism, The London Wire](https://www.thelondonwire.co.uk/dan-hodges/)
8. [Leading political commentator and alumnus Dan Hodges returns to Edge Hill University](https://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2023/11/leading-political-commentator-and-alumnus-dan-hodges-returns-to-edge-hill-university/)
9. [Register of Journalists' Interests, House of Commons (25 January 2018)](https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmjournl/180125/register.pdf)
10. [Journalist Dan Hodges runs semi-naked through Westminster after losing Ukip bet, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/video/2016/jan/07/journalist-dan-hodges-runs-semi-naked-through-westminster-after-losing-ukip-bet-video)
11. [Dan Hodges, The Press Awards finalist citation](https://www.thepressawards.com/finalists/dan-hodges-l0059)
12. [Dan Hodges, The Press Awards finalist citation (second entry)](https://www.thepressawards.com/finalists/dan-hodges-exjjjymuwflskaq)
13. [Dan Hodges: Political Provoker in Print, Leeds Journal](https://leedsjournal.co.uk/dan-hodges/)
14. [Dan Hodges's Profile, Muck Rack](https://muckrack.com/dpjhodges)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Broadcasting and journalism › Periodicals and publishing › Journalism › Journalists (biographies and roles) › Columnists and opinion journalists*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license