2022 Fellow Ellis Palmer Babe will join BBC Radio Lancashire in a potential election year to cover politics.

Ellis will be on secondment from the BBC World Service, where he has worked on the Newshour programme.

Reflecting on the appointment to the senior journalist post, Ellis said: “Having worked in international news for most of my time at the BBC, I’m very excited to get to dip my toe into public policy reporting – something which I’ve done on an occasional basis on disability issues in the last six years – at an interesting moment for the county politically in what many anticipate will be a General Election year. I’m especially keen on reflecting the diversity of the county in all its forms.”

He continued: “Although I’m from Merseyside, the region geographically below Lancashire, I do know something of the county from family who live there and my visits to football grounds across the divisions over the years as a Man City and Tranmere Rovers supporter. ‘Has mic, will travel’ is very much my adage for the next three months and I’m looking forward to getting to connect with the county, its people, and its policymakers more deeply over the next few months.”