Leo McKinstry

Leo McKinstry (born 1962) is a British journalist, historian and author.

Life and career Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, McKinstry was educated at Portora Royal School, Enniskillen, and Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, where he graduated with a degree in history in 1985. On leaving Cambridge, his first jobs were with the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, Ulster Architect magazine, and Tellex, a news monitoring service before he became immersed in Labour politics. He writes regularly for several newspapers in the United Kingdom, including the Daily Mail, Daily Express, and The Sunday Telegraph. He often writes about issues relating to immigration and the European Union, being a strong supporter of Brexit. His books include a biography of the Victorian Prime Minister, Lord Rosebery.

In the early 1990s, McKinstry was a Labour councillor in Islington and worked as a parliamentary aide to Labour politician Harriet Harman. Losing his seat on Islington council in 1994, he was working for Labour frontbencher Doug Henderson when he announced the following year, via an article in The Spectator, that he no longer supported the party. Subsequently, he was a regular columnist in both the Daily Mail and the Daily Express.

McKinstry is married and lives in Thanet, Kent and North-West France. He was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 2019.

Awards and honours 2003 British Sports Book Awards (Best Biography), Jack & Bobby 2006 Channel Four Political Book of the Year Rosebery: Statesman in Turmoil 2007 British Sports Book Awards (Best Football Book), Sir Alf 2025 Vitality Cricket Media Club Book of the Year Bill Edrich