Editing The Spectator (section)

====Charles Moore====
Chancellor was replaced by the 27-year-old [[Charles Moore (journalist)|Charles Moore]] in February 1984, after the magazine's then owner Algy Cluff had become concerned that ''The Spectator'' was "lacking in political weight" and considered Chancellor to be "commercially irresponsible".<ref name="Courtauld" /> Moore had been a leader writer at ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' before Chancellor recruited him to ''The Spectator'' as political commentator. Under Moore, the paper became more political than it had been under Chancellor. The new editor adopted an approach that was, in general, pro-[[Margaret Thatcher]], while showing no restraint in opposing her on certain issues. The paper called the [[Anglo-Irish Agreement]] "a fraudulent prospectus" in 1985, came out against the [[Single European Act]], and in 1989 criticised the [[Transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong|handover]] of Hong Kong to [[People's Republic of China|China]]. Moore wrote that, if Britain failed to allow the city's [[UK passport]] holders [[Right of abode in the United Kingdom|right of abode]] in Britain, "we shall have to confess that, for the first time in our history, we have forced Britons to be slaves."<ref>''The Spectator'', 10 June 1989</ref> Moore also introduced several new contributors, including a restaurant column by [[Nigella Lawson]] (the former editor's daughter), and a humorous column by [[Craig Brown (satirist)|Craig Brown]]. When Taki was briefly imprisoned for cocaine possession Moore refused to accept his resignation, explaining publicly: "We expect our High Life columnist to be high some of the time."<ref name="Courtauld" />

''The Spectator'' changed hands again in 1985, by which time it was facing financial meltdown, having an accumulated an overdraft of over £300,000.{{how|date=July 2023}} Cluff had reached the conclusion that the paper "would be best secured in the hands of a publishing group", and sold it to Australian company [[Fairfax Media|John Fairfax]], which promptly paid off the overdraft. With the support of its new proprietor, the paper was able to widen its readership through subscription drives and advertising, reaching a circulation of 30,000 in 1986, exceeding the circulation of the ''[[New Statesman]]'' for the first time. The magazine was again sold in 1988, after an uncertain period during which several candidates, including [[Rupert Murdoch]], attempted to buy the magazine. Moore wrote to Murdoch, saying: "Most of our contributors and many of our readers would be horrified at the idea of your buying ''The Spectator''. They believe you are autocratic and that you have a bad effect on journalism of quality&nbsp;– they cite ''[[The Times]]'' as the chief example."<ref name="Courtauld" />