Benjamin Butterworth (journalist)

Benjamin Butterworth (born 17 March 1992) is a British journalist and commentator, and former chair of London Young Labour.

Early life

Butterworth was born in Macclesfield, Cheshire. During his early years he lived on a council estate in Macclesfield, before moving to Alderley Edge, Cheshire where he attended Wilmslow High School. He later attended the London School of Economics.

He has spoken AbOUT his troubled early years and parents' [...] addiction, writing in the Guardian newspaper: "My mum was a teenager when she fell pregnant with me. She was in love with a man 10 years older, and after I was born it was decided that my father’s relatives would raise me just outside Manchester. No one spoke about Mum – I never saw any baby pictures or birth certificate. I assumed I’d been an accident."

Journalism

Butterworth has written for mainstream newspapers and magazines, including The Independent, The Guardian, Daily Star, OK! magazine, Vice and New Statesman. He currently works for PinkNews.

In 2014, he interviewed former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair for Gay Times magazine's 30th anniversary, subsequently writing a column in The Guardian newspaper explaining that he considered the politician a "gay icon".

In 2017 he spoke to all five living British Prime Ministers, for a feature marking the 50th anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality.

Butterworth is thought to have been the last person to interview comedian Joan Rivers, and appeared in Channel 5 TV special Autopsy: The Last Hours of Joan Rivers in the UK, as well as appearances on E! and Reelz in the US.

He has appeared on national TV and radio discussing current affairs and LGBT rights, including Sky News, BBC News, 5 News, BBC World Service, LBC, and BBC Radio 4.

Politics

As a student at the London School of Economics Butterworth was elected LGBT Officer of the students’ union. Butterworth served as Chair of London Young Labour in 2016. He was previously on Young Labour National Committee from 2013 to 2016 and National Youth Officer of LGBT Labour in 2011.

In the 2011 local elections he became the youngest person to stand for election to Cheshire East council, losing to the Conservative Party candidate.