Maidenhead Advertiser Follows Theresa May From Election as Local MP to Door of No 10

The Maidenhead Advertiser has followed Theresa May from her election as the first MP for Maidenhead nearly 20 years ago to the door of Number 10 Downing Street yesterday.   

Martin Trepte, now editorial director of the Advertiser’s publisher Baylis Media, covered Mrs May’s election to the new parliamentary seat for Maidenhead in 1997 and the paper has enjoyed a longstanding relationship with Mrs May ever since.   

The paper sent a reporter and photographer to cover events at Downing Street yesterday, securing a prime photographer spot outside 10 Downing Street through a ballot conducted by the News Media Association.

The NMA helps to organise photographer positions for high profile political and royal events as part of its media facilities services and secured places for member national and regional titles yesterday. 

All the nationals splashed on the story of Mrs May’s appointment and the ongoing Cabinet reshuffle, which has seen a series of changes including Culture Secretary John Whittingdale leaving the government. 

The Maidenhead Advertiser pushed back its print deadline by an hour and a half to incorporate all of the material gathered yesterday and splashed on the story this morning.  

The title also reproduced a copy of her CV from 1997 – the year she was elected to the new parliamentary seat of Maidenhead – as part of its coverage of Mrs May’s leadership bid, which has included an exclusive video interview with her, shot at the weekly newspaper’s offices.

The 1997 election was covered for the Advertiser by Mr Trepte (pictured below covering the result) who has known Mrs May throughout her 19-year tenure as Maidenhead MP. 

 

As well as leading on the Advertiser’s coverage, Mr Trepte has been interviewed by a host of national news outlets including the Economist, BBC News, Radio 5Live and AFP as the leadership contest unfolded.   

Mr Trepte said: “This has been a fantastic story both for the paper and the town. I cannot praise my team highly enough for the way they have committed to covering it with rigour and professionalism.”

The paper has regular contact with Mrs May, such as running a competition for local school children to design her Christmas card each year. 

Baylis Media’s chief executive Jeremy Spooner is a board member of the News Media Association and chairman of the Independent Publishers Forum. 

Front pages are from NLA media access.