Ed Conway

The last 12 months have seen intense economic turbulence, but Sky viewers have been fortunate to have economics and data editor Ed Conway guiding them through it. His work has helped viewers understand complex trade policy decisions and debate, translating abstract concepts into real-world stories.

Conway’s investigation into the De Minimis rule revealed the true figures behind a customs loophole helping Chinese companies bring cheap goods into the UK tax-free, undercutting British companies. The findings were picked up by other publications and retail bodies who successfully lobbied the government to close the loophole.

A film on Leicester’s textile industry revealed how the city, rocked by coverage of labour exploitation scandals during and after the pandemic, was attempting to turn itself around in the face of further threat from cheap Chinese imports and a new trade deal with India. 

And it was Conway that revealed that furnaces at the British Steel site in Scunthorpe could cease production within days. This led to the House of Commons being recalled during recess. The report was cited in the House of Commons during the subsequent debate on the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Bill, which granted the government powers to take control of the plant from its Chinese owners. 

Judges’ comments: “They say that access is much harder when you want to point a camera at it but Ed is proving this doesn't have to be the case… Ed is grappling with some of the biggest issues and making them accessible to a mass audience.”