Alastair Stewart quits as ITV presenter over 'errors of judgment'

The ITV newsreader Alastair Stewart is stepping down from his presenting duties following “errors of judgment in Alastair’s use of social media”, ITN has said.

There was no immediate indication of the nature of Stewart’s actions.

The presenter – who deleted his Twitter account before the announcement – said in a statement: “It was a misjudgment which I regret, but it’s been a privilege to bring the news to households throughout the UK for the past 40 years.”

In an internal email, ITN staff were told that the decision, also backed by ITV, followed behaviour that breached ITN’s editorial guidelines.

Stewart first joined ITN in 1980, acting as one of ITV’s flagship newsreaders for more than three decades. He was the longest-serving male newsreader on British television.

ITV News presenter Julie Etchingham tweeted: “So sad to learn this - we have worked on many big stories together & Al is a trusted friend and guide to many of us.”

Her colleague Mary Nightingale posted that she was “very sad” about Stewart’s departure, adding: “He was a good friend and mentor to me when I started at Carlton TV, and we worked together for more than 27 years. I will miss him.”

The email said that “in recent times he has been a part-time freelance presenter mainly on the lunchtime news and weekend programmes”.

Michael Jermey, the director of news and current affairs at ITV, said: “Alastair has been a long-standing, familiar figure to viewers of ITV News, both reporting and presenting with distinction. We wish him the very best for the future.”

ITN’s chief executive, Anna Mallett, added: “We would like to recognise Alastair’s contribution as one of the UK’s foremost journalists and TV presenters and to thank him for his commitment to delivering high-quality broadcast news over many years.”