Back in the 1930s, the Daily Herald was the country’s biggest-selling daily newspaper but by the 1960s sales were in decline and its latest owners, the International Publishing Corporation, decided on a relaunch and a rename to the Sun.
The first edition appeared on 15 September 1964, just as the Conservative government had called a general election, a gift to this Labour-supporting paper and its Probe team. Probe appeared twice a week, written by different journalists on a range of topics, and on day two of the new paper Paul had his first by-line over a piece about the candidates standing for election.
It was their coverage of the election in the constituency of Smethwick in Birmingham which stands out because it gave Paul the idea for his first book, Immigration and Race in British Politics.
Paul stayed at Probe for just six months: he hated having to say ‘Probe here’ when he answered the phone, but mainly he despaired of the politics of the column’s editor. When the newly elected Labour Government introduced a bill to end capital punishment, the team suggested a background feature. Their editor’s response was enthusiastic. How much does an execution cost? How much money would a ban save? The journalists’ enthusiasm turned to dismay and the entire team quit.
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The people who want your vote
Paul’s first article for the Probe column in the Sun newspaper, published in September 1964