The New European, one of the fastest growing politics and culture magazines in the UK in recent years, last week announced a new chapter in its publishing story: its evolution into The New World.
The weekly title which launched as a four-week pop-up print experiment nine days after the Brexit referendum and was taken independent by its founder and a small group of angel investors in late 2021 has - after nearly 440 editions - rebranded, together with announcing a raft of new writing talent and a redesigned magazine format.
“The New European was conceived as a pop-up provocation; a defiant middle finger to the rising tide of right wing populism that brought us Brexit,” said founder and editor-in-chief Matt Kelly. “Nine years later, the world and The New European has changed dramatically. This is a reflection of that new reality.
“We have come a long way. We have built a profitable business and a vibrant alternative to tired old legacy media models. Now we are ambitious for more growth.”
According to the publisher, the title has bucked the trend of UK printed media and grown quickly after becoming independent. Since 2022, revenues have tripled and paying subscriptions have quadrupled. The title now boasts a weekly paying audience of around 35,000, representing annual growth of more than 25% in each of the past four years.
Kelly added: “We know there is enormous appetite for our style of journalism - vibrant, constructive, witty and full of ideas and great reads that make sense of this extraordinary moment in world politics and culture.”
Alastair Campbell, editor-at-large of The New European newspaper, said that it would seek to tackle the sorts of themes that underpinned the Brexit vote that he sees now playing out around the world in the shift to the right in many countries.
“We're always going to be very passionately anti-Brexit, very pro internationalism, liberal democracy,” said Campbell, who added that the magazine would focus on telling broader stories about politics and culture at a time when much UK-based journalism appeared to be focused inwards.
Campbell said: “When we started the paper, you could never have predicted [where we are]. Just to look at United States alone. You wouldn't have predicted that Ukraine and Russia were going to be fighting a war on the edge of Europe. Lots has happened - it's a reflection of that.”
But Campbell added: “I will never resile from the view that Brexit is the biggest act of self harm that we've inflicted upon ourselves, certainly in my lifetime.”
He said: "I'm hoping this will be the next chapter of a story that we're going to keep telling, which is that liberal democracy is the way forward, that nationalism is not the answer to the challenges that we face, that populism is doomed to fail, and there's a better way that involves people with an optimistic, internationalist outlook."
The New World’s existing stable of writers will be joined by new contributing editors including Sonia Sodha (formerly The Observer), Moisés Naím (best-selling author of The Revenge of Power) and Tom Baldwin (Keir Starmer’s biographer and former senior advisor to Labour).
They join Alastair Campbell, Matthew d’Ancona, Tanit Koch, James Ball, Marie Le Conte, Emily Herring, Nigel Warburton, Paul Mason, Patience Wheatcroft and Jason Solomons, Jon Kampfner, amongst others, as regular contributors.
The New World will be available at retailers nationwide in a new improved super-bright newsprint format, the publisher continued, selling weekly for £4.95. An annual subscription costs from £60 a year for digital only and £120 a year for print (home-delivered) and digital.
The launch is underpinned by a thriving subscriber base, added the publisher. This strategic investment takes place alongside continued digital development at www.thenewworld.co.uk and is possible because of the business’s strong financial standing. The improved magazine will be available across the UK, Ireland, and selected European capitals.
Gavin O’Reilly, executive chairman, commented: “The New European's commercial success and remarkable reader loyalty provide a powerful launchpad for The New World. This evolution reflects our commitment to serving our engaged readership with more high-quality, forward-thinking journalism.”
The New European raised investment in 2021 from Saul and Robin Klein, co-founders of LocalGlobe, former BBC Director General and New York Times CEO, Mark Thompson, co-founder of Wise Taavet Hinrikus, former Financial Times editor Lionel Barber and former Archant CEO Jeff Henry, who green-lighted the title’s launch in 2016.
Later in 2025, The New World says it will be exploring further investment from value aligned investors to accelerate growth and the possibility of expansion into new markets.
About The New World (formerly The New European):
- Launched in July 2016, The New European won numerous UK publishing awards, including top awards from the Society of Editors and British Media Awards.
- Under independent ownership since 2021, consistent subscriber growth underscores its strong audience connection. Notable investors include former BBC Director General and New York Times CEO Mark Thompson, former FT editor Lionel Barber and tech investors and founders, Saul Klein and Taavet Hinkrikus.
- In 2023, The New European Ltd raised more than £1m from more than 2,200 individual investors as part of a co-ownership campaign that valued the new business at more than £6m.
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