The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph, commonly called The Telegraph, is a British daily broadsheet newspaper with a conservative political stance. It is published in London by Telegraph Media Group and circulates both in the UK and abroad. The paper was founded in 1855 by Arthur B. Sleigh, initially titled *The Daily Telegraph and Courier*. Its motto, “Was, is, and will be,” appeared on its emblem, which was used for over a century starting in 1858. In 2004, the BBC described the paper as the UK’s “other paper of record,” and it was listed among newspapers of record in the 2017 *Broadview Guide to Writing*.
The paper’s early history began when Colonel Sleigh started it to air a personal grievance against Prince George, Duke of Cambridge. Joseph Moses Levy, owner of *The Sunday Times*, printed the first edition on 29 June 1855. It cost 2d and ran four pages, stressing “a high tone of independent action.” When Sleigh could not pay the printing bill, Levy took over, aiming to produce a cheaper paper than rivals like the *Daily News* and *The Morning Post*. Levy appointed his son, Edward Levy-Lawson (Lord Burnham), and Thornton Leigh Hunt as editors. Lord Burnham relaunched it as *The Daily Telegraph* with the slogan “the largest, best, and cheapest newspaper in the world.” Hunt outlined principles in a memorandum: reporting striking events in science, fashion, inventions, and business so the public could understand their relevance.
In 1876, Jules Verne’s novel *Michael Strogoff* featured a *Daily Telegraph* war correspondent named Harry Blount, depicted as a dedicated, resourceful, and brave journalist. In 1908, the paper published an interview with Kaiser Wilhelm II that damaged Anglo-German relations and heightened pre-World War I tensions. In 1928, Lord Burnham’s son sold the paper to William Berry (Viscount Camrose), his brother Gomer Berry (Viscount Kemsley), and Edward Iliffe (Baron Iliffe). In 1937, the paper absorbed *The Morning Post*, a conservative paper popular among retired officers. Camrose had intended to run both, but poor sales of *The Morning Post* forced a merger; the title briefly became *The Daily Telegraph and Morning Post* before reverting.
During the late 1930s, diplomatic editor Victor Gordon Lennox published an anti-appeasement private newsletter, *The Whitehall Letter*, using leaks from Foreign Office officials Sir Robert Vansittart and Rex Leeper, leading MI5 to monitor him. In 1939, the paper ran Clare Hollingworth’s scoop that Germany planned to invade Poland—later called “the scoop of the century.” During World War II, *The Daily Telegraph* covertly helped recruit code-breakers for Bletchley Park. In November 1940, Fleet Street faced daily Luftwaffe bombing, so the paper began printing in Manchester at Kemsley House (later Thomson House). Northern editions moved to Trafford Park in 1986 and to Knowsley, Liverpool, in 2008.
The *Sunday Telegraph* launched in 1961. In 2013, the daily and Sunday papers merged, though the Sunday edition retained its own editor. Both are politically conservative and support the Conservative Party, though the *Daily Telegraph* was moderately liberal before the late 1870s. The paper has broken major stories: the 2009 parliamentary expenses scandal, which forced high-profile resignations and earned the paper the 2009 British Newspaper of the Year award; a 2016 undercover investigation into England football manager Sam Allardyce; and the 2023 Lockdown Files.
In May 2025, investment firm RedBird Capital Partners announced a £500 million (about US$674 million) plan to buy the paper’s publisher, but the deal collapsed in November 2025. In March 2026, German company Axel Springer SE announced it would acquire Telegraph Media Group for £575 million. CEO Mathias Döpfner called it a long-standing goal and said the paper’s editorial character would be preserved. The acquisition was completed in June 2026.
- field
- Newspaper publishing
- nationality
- British
- known_for
- Conservative broadsheet; scoops including the 2009 parliamentary expenses scandal and Clare Hollingworth's 1939 report of German invasion of Poland
- founder
- Arthur B. Sleigh
- headquarters
- London
Lore & Background
The Daily Telegraph and Courier was founded by Colonel Arthur B. The paper cost 2d and was four pages long. Sleigh was unable to pay Levy, who took over the newspaper, appointing his son Edward Levy-Lawson, Lord Burnham, and Thornton Leigh Hunt to edit it. Lord Burnham relaunched the paper as The Daily Telegraph with the slogan 'the largest, best, and cheapest newspaper in the world'. In 1937, the newspaper absorbed The Morning Post. During the Second World War, The Daily Telegraph covertly helped recruit code-breakers for Bletchley Park; the ability to solve its crossword in under 12 minutes was considered a recruitment test. In 1939, it published Clare Hollingworth's scoop that Germany was to invade Poland, described as 'the scoop of the century'. In 2009, the paper broke the parliamentary expenses scandal, leading to high-profile resignations and earning it the 2009 British Newspaper of the Year award. In 2013, The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph were merged, though the latter retains its own editor.
Reader's Guide
The *Daily Telegraph* has shaped British public discourse and political events through a series of landmark scoops. In 1939, novice reporter Clare Hollingworth provided an eyewitness account of the German invasion of Poland, a report later called "the scoop of the century." In 2009, the paper’s investigation into parliamentary expenses forced several high-profile political resignations and earned it the British Newspaper of the Year award. Its 2016 undercover sting on England football manager Sam Allardyce and the 2023 Lockdown Files further illustrate its investigative reach. The paper has long been a conservative voice, supporting the Conservative Party, though it was moderately liberal before the late 1870s. Its motto, "Was, is, and will be," appeared on its emblem from 1858 for over a century. In 2004, the BBC called it the UK’s "other paper of record," and a 2017 writing guide listed it among newspapers of record. The *Telegraph* also absorbed the conservative *Morning Post* in 1937, and its diplomatic editor Victor Gordon Lennox published an anti-appeasement newsletter in the late 1930s, drawing on leaks from senior Foreign Office officials. The paper’s influence extends to fiction: Jules Verne’s 1876 novel *Michael Strogoff* features a *Daily Telegraph* war correspondent as a heroic character. In 1908, an article presented as an interview with Kaiser Wilhelm II damaged Anglo-German relations before World War I. The paper’s ownership has shifted through families and firms, with a 2026 acquisition by German company Axel Springer SE, whose CEO pledged to preserve its editorial character.
Did You Know?
- The Daily Telegraph's first edition cost 2d and was four pages long.
- During the Second World War, solving The Daily Telegraph's crossword in under 12 minutes was used as a recruitment test for Bletchley Park code-breakers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are The Daily Telegraph's most famous scoops?
The paper broke the 2009 parliamentary expenses scandal that reshaped British politics. It also ran Clare Hollingworth's 1939 dispatch reporting the German invasion of Poland, among the earliest published accounts of World War II's outbreak.
Where is The Daily Telegraph based and who publishes it?
The newspaper is headquartered in London and operated by Telegraph Media Group. It is distributed throughout the United Kingdom as well as internationally.
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