Anushka Asthana: Biography, Journalism Career, Husband and Family

Anushka Asthana is a British political journalist and television presenter whose career has taken her from newspaper reporting to some of the UK’s most recognisable broadcasting organisations. She is currently the US Editor of Channel 4 News, based in Washington DC, and became part of the programme’s presenting line-up in October 2026. She also co-hosts TrumpWorld, a weekly political podcast with fellow Channel 4 journalist Matt Frei.

Her professional experience includes senior positions at The Guardian, Sky News and ITV News, as well as earlier reporting work for The Observer, The Times and The Washington Post. Alongside broadcasting, she has written about British politics and published a book examining Labour’s return to government.

Anushka Asthana’s Quick Biography

Who Is Anushka Asthana?

Anushka Asthana is a political journalist who has spent much of her working life reporting on the people, institutions and decisions shaping British politics. She has covered general elections, parliamentary developments, government policy and major political controversies, working both behind the scenes in newsrooms and in front of television cameras.

Her experience is not limited to British politics. A fellowship at The Washington Post in 2006 gave her an opportunity to report on American political affairs, while her subsequent appointment as US Editor of Channel 4 News brought international political reporting to the centre of her career.

She became particularly recognisable to television audiences through ITV News, where she served as Deputy Political Editor and worked alongside Robert Peston on the broadcaster’s political programme Peston. Her subsequent move to Channel 4 represented a shift from Westminster-focused reporting towards covering American politics from Washington.

Early Life and Family Background

Asthana was born in Scunthorpe, England, after her parents moved to the United Kingdom from India. She grew up in Stalybridge, a town near Manchester, where her family eventually settled.

In a personal article published by The Guardian in November 2006, Asthana wrote about her family’s connection with India and the experience of growing up between two cultural backgrounds. She explained that her parents were both doctors in Delhi before relocating to Britain in 1975 with their newborn son, Anshu.

The family initially lived in London before moving to Southampton and then Scunthorpe. They eventually settled in Manchester in 1981. Although her parents had originally considered returning to India, their employment, friendships and children’s education helped establish Britain as their home.

Asthana also described visiting relatives in Delhi and Bhopal during her childhood. These visits maintained her connection with her family’s Indian background, a subject she later explored in her journalism and personal writing.

Her family history provides useful context for understanding her upbringing, but it should not be treated as an explanation for every aspect of her professional outlook. Her career was shaped by her education, newsroom experience and reporting opportunities as well as her background.

Education and Journalism Training

Anushka Asthana attended Manchester High School for Girls. The school’s Spring 2021 newsletter identified her as a member of the Class of 1998 and recorded her participation in a virtual Founders’ Lecture, where she discussed her career and experiences as a former pupil.

She subsequently studied Economics at the University of Cambridge, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree. While at Cambridge, she became involved with the student newspaper and a local television channel. These experiences helped introduce her to reporting and influenced her decision to pursue journalism professionally.

After Cambridge, she undertook the Periodical Journalism programme at City, University of London, completing the course in 2003.

In a university interview published in July 2016, Asthana explained that she had not originally regarded journalism as an obvious career choice. Her involvement in student media helped her recognise that the profession involved much more than writing.

Her training at City provided a route into the newspaper industry, and she joined The Observer after completing her journalism studies.

How Her Journalism Career Began

Asthana began her professional journalism career at The Observer in 2003. She initially worked as a general reporter before taking on a number of positions across the newspaper.

Her responsibilities included health reporting, education correspondence, news-desk work and policy journalism. She eventually became the newspaper’s Policy Editor, reporting from Westminster on political developments and public policy.

During her time there, she covered the 2010 general election and the formation of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government.

One significant opportunity came in 2006, when she received the Laurence Stern Fellowship. The fellowship enabled her to work at The Washington Post and gain experience of American political reporting.

Her coverage included the US midterm elections. She also travelled on Air Force One with the American president and interviewed Barack Obama when he was a senator.

The Washington experience was a notable early international assignment, giving her exposure to a political environment different from the Westminster institutions she had covered in Britain.

Career at The Times and Sky News

Following her work at The Observer, Asthana moved to The Times, where she became a chief political correspondent and columnist.

The position gave her further experience of national political reporting and commentary. It also developed her profile as a journalist working regularly with senior politicians and covering major developments in British public life.

In May 2013, Sky News announced that it had appointed her as a Political Correspondent. She joined the broadcaster later that summer and subsequently became a Senior Political Correspondent.

At Sky News, her responsibilities included live political reporting, analysis of developing stories and interviews with politicians from different parties.

She also covered the 2015 general election, following the Conservative campaign and reporting on the political developments surrounding the contest.

The move to television broadened her professional experience. Rather than concentrating mainly on newspaper articles and columns, she was now working across live broadcasting, political interviews and rolling news coverage.

Becoming The Guardian’s Joint Political Editor

In December 2015, The Guardian announced that Anushka Asthana and Heather Stewart would share the newspaper’s Political Editor position. They began the arrangement in early 2016.

The appointment attracted attention because job-sharing was relatively unusual at such a senior level in national political journalism. It allowed the two journalists to divide the responsibilities of a demanding Westminster position while continuing their careers at a major national newspaper.

During her time as joint Political Editor, Asthana covered the aftermath of the Brexit referendum, Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership of the Labour Party and the 2017 general election.

Her work involved reporting on government decisions, political parties, parliamentary developments and the changing relationship between British political leaders and voters.

In September 2018, The Guardian announced that she would host its new daily news and current-affairs podcast. The programme became Today in Focus, which took listeners beyond the main headlines through interviews, reporting and explanatory journalism.

She subsequently worked as the newspaper’s Editor-at-Large, continuing to contribute to its journalism and audio output before leaving for ITV News in 2021.

Her ITV News Career and Peston

Asthana joined ITV News as Deputy Political Editor in July 2021. The appointment placed her in a senior political reporting position at one of Britain’s main television news organisations.

Alongside her work for ITV News, she appeared on Peston, the broadcaster’s flagship political programme presented by Robert Peston. Her involvement included political interviews, discussion and analysis of current affairs.

She reported on major political developments during a particularly eventful period in British politics, including changes of government, party leadership contests and the debates surrounding public spending and government policy.

Some of her reporting attracted wider attention beyond daily Westminster coverage.

In September 2023, she reported on the financial difficulties facing Birmingham City Council, examining how its equal-pay liabilities had contributed to the authority’s financial crisis.

She returned to the subject in December 2024, reporting on the spread of equal-pay claims to other local authorities and the implications for councils across the country.

Her wider political reporting also included stories involving the Bibby Stockholm accommodation vessel and the government’s Rwanda asylum policy. These subjects were highlighted in the account of her work published by the Asian Media Awards when it announced her 2024 journalist award.

Joining Channel 4 News as US Editor

In April 2025, Channel 4 News announced that Asthana would leave ITV News to become its US Editor. The move was scheduled for the summer, and she succeeded Siobhan Kennedy in the Washington-based position.

Her new responsibilities involved reporting on American politics and major international developments from the United States.

The appointment came at a consequential period in American politics following Donald Trump’s return to the presidency in January 2025. Her role placed her closer to the political institutions, campaigns and policy decisions shaping the United States.

In September 2025, Channel 4 News launched TrumpWorld, a weekly video podcast presented by Asthana and Matt Frei. The programme examines the Trump presidency through interviews, political reporting and analysis.

Their different reporting positions also provide complementary perspectives: Asthana covers developments from Washington, while Frei brings his international reporting experience as Europe Editor.

On 14 October 2026, Channel 4 announced another development in her career. Asthana joined the Channel 4 News presenter line-up while retaining her position as US Editor.

The additional duties mean she can return to present the programme in the UK when required, while continuing her reporting responsibilities in Washington. She should therefore be described as a member of the presenting team rather than its main or permanent anchor.

Books and Published Work

Anushka Asthana is the author of Taken As Red: How Labour Won Big and the Tories Crashed the Party, first published by HarperNorth in September 2024.

The book examines the 2024 general election and the political developments that brought Labour back into government after 14 years of Conservative rule.

Drawing on interviews with more than 100 political figures and insiders, it considers the strategies behind Labour’s campaign, the Conservative Party’s difficulties and the decisions that shaped the election result. Among the figures included in its reported interviews are Rachel Reeves, Wes Streeting, Kwasi Kwarteng and Nigel Farage.

A paperback edition was released in June 2025 under the subtitle The Truth About Starmer’s Labour.

Her published work also includes The Women Problem: Who Is Winning the Battle for Britain’s Female Vote?, a 2013 political research report associated with Mumsnet and Ipsos MORI. It examined women’s voting intentions and attitudes towards the main political parties ahead of the 2015 general election.

These publications demonstrate her work beyond television reporting, particularly her interest in political strategy, voting behaviour and the relationship between politicians and the electorate.

Awards and Professional Recognition

Asthana received the Manchester Metropolitan University Journalist of the Year award at the 2024 Asian Media Awards. The award recognised her political journalism, including reporting on equal pay, the Bibby Stockholm and the Rwanda plan.

She was also nominated for Political Journalist of the Year at the 2023 Royal Television Society Television Journalism Awards. The nomination recognised her work for ITV News, although a nomination should not be described as a win.

In January 2025, the Society of Editors announced that she had joined its board. The appointment recognised her experience across national newspapers and television news and her contribution to discussions about press freedom and editorial standards.

Husband and Marriage

Anushka Asthana has publicly written about her marriage, although she generally keeps details of her family life away from the spotlight.

In an article for The Guardian published on 27 December 2009, she discussed her cross-cultural marriage and identified her husband as Toby, an Englishman who had grown up in Oxfordshire.

Writing about their wedding and subsequent trip to India, she described the experience of bringing two different family and cultural backgrounds together. The article appeared approximately three months after their wedding, placing the marriage in 2009.

She has not established a reliable public record of her husband’s full name, and there is no reason to add a surname from unverified biography websites.

Does Anushka Asthana Have Children?

Yes. A profile published by City, University of London, in July 2016 reported that Asthana had two young sons.

In that interview, she explained how the job-sharing arrangement at The Guardian helped her balance family responsibilities with the demanding work of being a political editor.

She has not made detailed information about her children’s identities or private lives a regular part of her public profile. Their names and current ages are therefore best left out of a professional biography.

Who Was Anushka Asthana’s Brother, Anshu?

Anshu Asthana was Anushka’s brother. She referred to him in her first-person Guardian article about her family’s move from India to Britain.

His name became publicly relevant again through a fundraising campaign organised by Anushka and Hanna Bain for the charity Bipolar UK.

The women took part in the Manchester Marathon on 27 April 2025 in his memory. According to the fundraising page, Anshu had died aged 37, and 3 May 2025 would have marked his 50th birthday.

The fundraising effort raised more than £5,000 against an original target of £2,000. Asthana also described herself as an ambassador for Bipolar UK on the page.

Her public comments and fundraising activity provide a documented connection to the charity, but the subject should be covered sensitively and without unnecessary speculation about private family circumstances.

Conclusion

Anushka Asthana’s career reflects the development of a journalist who has worked across newspapers, television, digital journalism and political publishing. Beginning at The Observer in 2003, she went on to hold senior positions at The Times, Sky News and The Guardian before becoming ITV News’ Deputy Political Editor.

Her move to Channel 4 News in 2025 broadened her focus to American politics, while her 2026 appointment to the presenting team added another dimension to her broadcasting work.

Alongside reporting and presenting, her book Taken As Red demonstrates an interest in explaining the decisions and political strategies behind major national events. With experience across both British and American political journalism, she remains an established figure in UK news broadcasting.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who is Anushka Asthana?

Anushka Asthana is a British political journalist, television presenter and author. She is the US Editor of Channel 4 News and a member of its presenting team.

2. Where was Anushka Asthana born?

She was born in Scunthorpe, England, and grew up in Stalybridge, near Manchester.

3. How old is Anushka Asthana?

Her exact date of birth has not been established through sufficiently reliable public sources, so a confirmed age cannot be provided.

4. Where did Anushka Asthana study?

She attended Manchester High School for Girls, studied Economics at the University of Cambridge and completed Periodical Journalism at City, University of London.

5. Is Anushka Asthana married?

Yes. She wrote publicly about her marriage to a man named Toby in a 2009 article for The Guardian.

6. Does Anushka Asthana have children?

A 2016 profile published by City, University of London, reported that she had two young sons. Their names and current ages are not reliably established in the sources consulted.

7. What does Anushka Asthana do at Channel 4 News?

She is the broadcaster’s US Editor, based in Washington DC, and also belongs to its presenting team. She co-hosts the weekly TrumpWorld podcast with Matt Frei.