Sky News has appointed Anushka Asthana as political correspondent. Asthana will join the 24-hour news channel from The Times where she had been chief political correspondent since 2011.

Asthana began her journalism career at The Observer where she remained for eight years. Her final role at the newspaper was policy editor, working from Westminster.

Esme Wren, head of politics at Sky News, said: “This is an exciting move for Sky News. Anushka comes with a wealth of experience and a proven record for breaking news. She will be a huge addition to our dynamic Westminster team.”  

Asthana added: “This is a great opportunity for me as a journalist to move into a new field, broadening my skills, and aiming to break exclusives in a very different way and across all their platforms.”

She will take up her role at Sky News in late summer and can be found tweeting @AnushkaAsthana.