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Andrew Marr: electrifying election is most exciting ever

By Dominic Ponsford

Andrew Marr told Lobby journalists at a Press Gazette event last night that the general election campaign had been “electrified” by the TV debate performance of Nick Clegg and it was the most exciting he could remember.

Marr was guest of honour at a drinks reception for political journalists held at Press Gazette’s London offices. Marr was named as the number one political reporter in the UK in a top 50 list which appears in the April edition of Press Gazette magazine. The list was compiled following a survey of members of the public and political journalists.

Other journalists in the top 50 list attending last night’s reception included: Evening Standard political editor Joe Murphy (3), his deputy Paul Waugh (9), and Mail on Sunday political editor Simon Walters (7).

Marr said: “All of us are extremely privileged to be reporting on what is one of the most exciting general elections we will ever experience. In some ways I wish I was back on the frontline going to all the press conferences because the next couple of weeks are going to be absolutely fascinating.”

He joked that his being named number one on the Press Gazette list shows that “bizarre things can happen” in a democratic election and he also paid tribute to Times election editor Philip Webster who was number two in the Press Gazette top 50 political reporters list.

Interviewed in the April edition of Press Gazette Marr said that it was important for a good political reporter to “accept that most of the people in the political game have mixed motives but part of their motives are good ones and they do want to make the world better, whether the are on the right, centre or left.”

He said: “A good journalist treats the business of politics, if not everything that happens in politics, with a certain amount of respect – which I try to do.”

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