Through a series of outstanding scoops and investigations, and stellar big-event coverage, the Daily Telegraph surpassed its ambitious target of one million subscriptions in 2023, and demonstrated an unwavering commitment to holding power to account and bringing new information to light. This was the year the Telegraph got exclusive after exclusive across the board - News, Business, Foreign Affairs, the Arts, Sport. And published the stories with real impact thanks to innovative design and brilliant photography, video, podcasts and visual storytelling. 

This has all helped turn the Telegraph into the fastest-growing digital subscriptions news publisher in the UK. The Lockdown Files investigation was the finest example of public interest journalism in a decade as the Telegraph revealed the conversations behind momentous decisions made during the Coronavirus pandemic that affected all our lives. It helped provide answers to bereaved families months before the official inquiry even began. 

A team of reporters meticulously combed through 100,000 leaked WhatsApp messages, and cross-referenced them against public statements and documents, to expose: -How care home residents were failed -Boris Johnson’s fear that Britain’s second lockdown was based on ‘very wrong’ data -Matt Hancock mounting a 'rearguard action' to close schools -Plans to 'frighten the pants off everyone' with a new strain of Coronavirus -Ministers being told to ‘get heavy with police’ to enforce lockdown Over 10 days of agenda-setting coverage, the messages also revealed that face masks were introduced in English secondary schools to avoid an ‘argument’ with Nicola Sturgeon, how advice to cut Covid isolation was rejected, Prof Sir Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance's concerns about shielding - and much much more. The scale of the scoop was reflected in its visual presentation, with a bespoke online hub and article style which gave the outstanding journalism even more impact, design that was reflected on all our platforms, including the paper, a podcast series and video. 

The Telegraph broke the biggest Business story of the year, an investigation into ‘de-banking’, revealing that Nigel Farage’s account with Coutts was closed down because his views did ‘not align with [their] values’. This contradicted reports claiming that Farage’s accounts fell below a financial threshold. The dossier provoked a national debate on free speech, and prompted the resignation of the NatWest and Coutts chief executives. After a painstaking investigation, the Telegraph revealed that publishers Puffin had made hundreds of changes to Roald Dahl’s original stories, ‘sensitivity readers’ removing colourful descriptions, making characters less grotesque and even rewriting some passages. There was a worldwide backlash, with the Prime Minister, Queen and Sir Salman Rushdie among many expressing criticism of the process and its impact on free speech. The publishers were forced to reissue uncensored versions of the books. An investigation into the Soul Survivor church exposed decades of alleged abuse and corruption. The Telegraph uncovered the theft of thousands of objects from the British Museum, some being sold on eBay. The kidnapping and brainwashing of Ukrainian children by Russia was exposed. An exclusive on children identifying as animals in schools caused national debate. 

The now symbiotic relationship between the printed and online products means that they reflect each other far more closely with the Daily Telegraph benefiting from the visual ingenuity of digital products - particularly for major events like the Coronation and wars in Ukraine and Israel-Gaza. A daily Features section was launched, creating a new home for the brilliant work of the likes of Allison Pearson, Suzanne Moore, Judith Woods, Mick Brown and others, and the Telegraph Magazine has gone from strength to strength, be it an exclusive interview with the Princess Royal or telling the extraordinary story of A Boy Named Sophie. Telegraph Women's Sport shone bright during the Lionesses run to the final of the Women's World Cup, showcasing the ongoing, unrivalled commitment. In a Rugby World Cup year it was The Telegraph which revealed that Eddie Jones was being sacked as England coach and replaced with Steve Borthwick, the UK's only separate daily section continuing its long streak of being voted Sports Newspaper of the Year. It is quality, exclusive, agenda-setting journalism which has been at the forefront of the Daily Telegraph's success and transformative subscription growth.