Chris Smyth

Chris Smyth is the Whitehall Editor at *The Times*, specializing in the intersection of UK health policy and political strategy. With a PhD in Intellectual History from the University of Cambridge and a Nico Colchester Fellowship at the *Financial Times*, he transitioned from academic research to frontline political journalism. Smyth gained prominence through his award-winning COVID-19 pandemic coverage and groundbreaking 2023 analysis of tax threshold freezes that influenced parliamentary debates. His investigative reporting on proposed social media age restrictions revealed internal government deliberations, demonstrating his access to Westminster decision-makers. Notable achievements include exposing how fiscal drag would push 7 million taxpayers into higher brackets and analyzing NHS reform impacts through both data journalism and human-interest narratives.