Peter Jay, journalist and diplomat, dies aged 87 | UK news

Peter Jay, the previous BBC economics journalist and diplomat, has died on the age of 87, his household has introduced.

Colleagues within the political and media world paid tributes after he died “peacefully at residence” on Sunday. Jay was one of many nation’s foremost economics commentators of his time, spending time because the economics editor for the BBC and the Occasions.

He was additionally a presenter of ITV’s Weekend World, a chair throughout the launch of the tv firm TV-am, a director of the Financial institution of England and chief of workers to Robert Maxwell for three-and-a-half years.

Jay’s household mentioned in an announcement: “He was a much-loved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, cousin, buddy and colleague.”

He was controversially appointed because the UK’s ambassador to Washington in 1977 by his then father-in-law, James Callaghan, who was prime minister, resulting in Conservative protests of nepotism.

David Owen, who was overseas secretary on the time, mentioned: “Jim Callaghan didn’t take to each other with the sitting ambassador in Washington so it was apparent there ought to be a change.

“I used to be free to nominate somebody higher suited to the brand new Carter administration and notably [Zbigniew] Brzezinski, his nationwide safety adviser. I selected on benefit Peter Jay and by no means had any trigger to remorse it, although I warned the prime minister the cost of nepotism would come up.

“Earlier than lengthy he was taking part in tennis often with Brzezinski, getting on properly with the younger Georgians near the president and in each respect proved to be a superb ambassador.”

Carter was from Georgia and had been governor of the state earlier than his presidency.

Faisal Islam, the present economics editor on the BBC, paid tribute to his predecessor in a submit on social media.

Islam wrote on X: “Famously instructed colleague one in all his complicated items was written for an viewers of three, & he wasn’t one in all them … in room with LBJ and Okun after they got here up with the definition of recession. Criticised the ‘bias towards understanding’.

“Diplomat. Broadcaster. RIP”.

Jay was born in February 1937, the son of Douglas Jay, who was president of the Board of Commerce beneath Harold Wilson. His mom, Peggy, was a number one gentle of the London county council.

After nationwide service within the Royal Navy, he graduated with a first-class honours diploma in politics, philosophy and economics on the College of Oxford. He married Margaret Callaghan in 1961 in a ceremony on the Home of Commons’ crypt chapel.

After two years in Washington from 1977 to 1979, the incoming Conservative authorities referred to as time on Jay’s appointment. At the moment it emerged that Margaret was having an affair with Carl Bernstein, the Washington Publish journalist who helped expose the Watergate scandal.

Jay and Callaghan had a son and two daughters collectively, however separated in 1986.

The ensuing breakdown of two marriages was immortalised within the novel Heartburn by Bernstein’s spouse, Nora Ephron, and subsequently grew to become a Hollywood movie in 1986 starring Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson.