Sir William Lewis, former editor of The Telegraph, named as Washington Post publisher Business

Sir William Lewis, the former editor of The Telegraph has been named publisher and chief executive of the Washington Post.

His appointment was announced by the Washington Post on Saturday night.

Sir William was editor of the Daily Telegraph when the paper broke the story of the MPs’ expenses scandal.

The Telegraph was named newspaper of the year in 2009  for its coverage of the scandal which led to a raft of resignations and several prosecutions.

Sir William, who was knighted earlier this year, joined the Murdoch-owned News Corporation in 2010.

He also served as CEO of Dow Jones and publisher of the Wall Street Journal from 2014 to 2020.

Sir William is now an entrepreneur with The News Movement, a start-up which aims to deliver non-partisan news to a young audience.

His appointment at the Washington Post was announced to the staff by the paper’s owner, Jeff Bezos, who said Sir William’s background in journalism made him a “strong fit” for the post.

“As I’ve gotten to know Will, I’ve been drawn to his love of journalism and passion for driving financial success,” Mr Bezos wrote.

“Will embodies the tenacity, energy and vision needed for this role. He believes that together we will build the right future for The Post. I agree.”

Sir William, who replaces Fred Ryan, takes over with the paper facing financial challenges with a decline in readers and subscribers.

The company, which is aiming to reduce its headcount by approximately 10 per cent, is offering redundancy packages to staff.

According to the paper, it is projected to make a $100 million loss this year.