Women in Westminster: In Conversation With Eleni Courea
The Guardian’s Political Correspondent, Eleni Courea, is part of a new generation of female journalists in the UK Press Lobby. As part of our Women in Westminster series, PoliticsHome sat down with Courea to learn more about why she believes demystifying politics is essential for our democracy
Eleni Courea brings the forensic clarity of an outsider’s eye to UK political journalism. The Cyprus-born Guardian journalist is building a reputation as one of a new generation of agenda-setting Lobby correspondents, one who often turns the spotlight on the people and processes that sit behind the day’s biggest political stories.
Courea started out writing for a specialist science journal before winning the prestigious Anthony Howard Award for young journalists in 2018. That award turbocharged her move into political journalism – firstly at The Times and then Politico before joining The Guardian in 2024.
Courea looks back on her early experiences working for specialist publications as being much more than simply a stepping stone. She recalls those first steps as critical in building her skills, particularly in an environment where there are often fewer pathways open to young journalists.
“It would have been tougher if I didn't have that experience,” she explains. “I think trade magazines are taking the role that local papers used to have for those looking for their first reporting job. They are a good way into the industry when a lot of local newspapers have closed.”
While she retains fond memories of working for trade journals, Courea’s true passion was always for politics. She tells PoliticsHome that, although born and raised overseas, UK politics exerted a hold on her from an early age.
“I wasn't really exposed to that much British political news at home, but I was always strangely interested in British politics,” she tells us. “I always had a kind of odd fascination with it.”
That enduring fascination now finds expression in the stories that Courea covers. These often go beyond simply reporting the facts of political decision-making and instead regularly explore the mechanisms and personalities that lie behind the headline announcements.
“These people make decisions that affect all of our lives and affect the whole planet,” she says. “I always want to ask, ‘How does that happen?’”
That interest in the people behind the front pages is a feature of Courea’s writing, and it is always underpinned by a deep appreciation of the humanity of politics and politicians. This, she feels, is something that is often lost sight of in the nation’s political debates.
“Before you come into Westminster, you see it as a kind of hallowed place where there's all these important, powerful people making decisions and running the country,” she explains. “And then you realise it's just people like you. It is a group of people taking decisions, and sometimes making mistakes.”
For Courea, the politicians she reports on each day are not “other”. Their essential humanity, she explains, is often overlooked by the public, and that could ultimately be corrosive to our democracy.
She regards increasing public awareness of the mechanisms of UK politics as critical in an environment where public trust in our politicians is often low. She tells us that increasing cynicism and a growing sense that “the system isn’t working for people” is one of the biggest threats that democracy currently faces.
“A lot of people have false ideas about the political system working in certain ways,” she explains. “It is really important to show people how decisions are made and explain what happens behind closed doors. That gives more transparency to the whole process.”
That clear-sightedness is a quality of Courea’s writing. She always explains the sometimes arcane workings of our politics in a clear and accessible way. Courea also thinks that growing up outside of the UK has furnished her with a level of detachment that continues to inform her writing.
“I can see how the UK is perceived as a government and as a country by everybody else,” she says. “That is very difficult to do if you've grown up here.”
That commitment to accessibility is a hallmark of everything that Courea writes. As part of a new wave of journalists who have developed their careers alongside digital technologies, she constantly seeks new ways to connect to audiences that consume their news in different ways.
She is far from alone on that journey and very clearly situates herself as part of a wider group of correspondents who are seeking to open up politics to new audiences. She believes those younger journalists are helping to create a collegiate environment that is shaping a safer and more supportive Westminster workplace.
“We've already got to a place where there has been a lot of progress in terms of diversity,” she says. “There are a lot of other young female journalists in similar positions and at similar stages of their careers. So that is really helpful. There is always a level of collaboration and collegiality even though we are technically rivals.”
Courea is not just a beneficiary of that environment. She also actively seeks to shape it. One of her nominators for the 2024 Women in Westminster list spoke of her “kindness and encouragement”, particularly of younger and newer female journalists.
That spirit of generosity and humanity always comes across in Courea’s writing, too. She never forgets the essential humanity that is shared between those she writes for and those she writes about. That helps the public better understand the people behind political decisions and demystifies the sometimes hidden processes that shape all of our lives.
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