Shehab Khan: Zeteo UK Political Editor, Former ITV News Correspondent and Career Explained

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Shehab Khan, Zeteo UK political editor — Shehab Khan

Shehab Khan is the Political Editor of Zeteo UK, the British edition of the independent, subscriber-funded news outlet founded by Mehdi Hasan. He took up the role at Zeteo UK’s formal launch in 2026, after more than seven years at ITV News as a political correspondent and presenter based in Westminster. The move is one of the most telling career changes in recent UK political journalism: a familiar broadcast correspondent leaving the strict impartiality rules of television news for a platform that is open about its perspective.

At ITV News he covered Brexit, prime ministerial resignations, partygate, the war in Ukraine and the death of Queen Elizabeth II, travelled on the prime minister’s plane and reported from Europe, Africa and the Middle East. He also co-presented the ITV News politics podcast “Calling Peston”, and wrote and presented the 2023 ITV documentary “The Hajj: A Journey Through Mecca”, about his own pilgrimage.

Quick Bio

Full name	Shehab Khan
Current role	Political Editor, Zeteo UK
Current show	The Real Question with Shehab Khan
Former role	Political correspondent and presenter, ITV News (2019–2026)
Previous employer	The Independent
Education	Philosophy, politics and economics, University of Warwick
Known for	Westminster reporting, Calling Peston, The Hajj: A Journey Through Mecca (2023)
Base	Westminster, London

Early Career at The Independent

Shehab Khan studied philosophy, politics and economics at the University of Warwick before starting his journalism career at The Independent. He was hired as the newspaper’s youngest staff reporter, and he spent almost four years there before moving into television news. He was stationed at the European Parliament, covering the Brexit negotiations at close quarters, and he also appeared as a commentator on the BBC, Sky News and LBC. That combination — detailed print reporting plus live broadcast commentary — shaped the style he later brought to ITV News: policy detail explained clearly, and quickly, on air.

More Than Seven Years at ITV News

Khan joined ITV News in 2019 as a political correspondent and presenter, based in Westminster, and stayed for more than seven years — reporting from outside Downing Street, presenting national bulletins and covering the stories that defined the era. He reported on Brexit as it moved from negotiation to implementation, on the resignations of prime ministers, on partygate, on the war in Ukraine and on the death of Queen Elizabeth II. He also reported internationally, from Europe, Africa and the Middle East, travelled on the prime minister’s plane and covered war zones. In an interview about his departure, he said he had presented documentaries, travelled around the world and had, in his words, the best time at a wonderful place to work. Westminster reporting at that level means long days outside Parliament, live broadcasts at short notice, and explaining a breaking story accurately while it is still unfolding. His TikTok account has also been reported to attract millions of views a month, reaching viewers who follow politics on social media rather than through a nightly bulletin.

Calling Peston: The ITV News Politics Podcast

Alongside his reporting, Khan co-presented “Calling Peston”, the ITV News politics podcast, with Daniel Hewitt. The podcast took a more conversational approach than the nightly bulletin allowed, working through the week’s big UK political stories and calling ITV News Political Editor Robert Peston for his take. A bulletin report has to be short and finished; a podcast allows a correspondent to explain the background and interview a guest at greater length. “Calling Peston” gave Khan a regular platform for that longer-form conversation, beyond his on-screen Westminster reports.

The Hajj Documentary: A Journey Through Mecca

In 2023, Khan wrote and presented the ITV documentary “The Hajj: A Journey Through Mecca”, about his own pilgrimage to Mecca. First aired on ITV1 in July 2023, the film was granted rare access to follow the journey of a lifetime, and it explored the rituals, history and human scale of one of the world’s largest annual gatherings. The documentary mattered because mainstream British television rarely covers this story from the inside. Much of Khan’s Westminster work dealt with stories every political journalist was covering; the Hajj film dealt with a story most were not, told by a journalist making the journey himself. It also demonstrated his range. The same correspondent who reported from outside Downing Street could carry a reflective, presenter-led documentary about faith and identity, combining personal testimony with reporting for viewers who might never have seen the pilgrimage presented that way on a major channel.

Awards and Recognition

In 2017 he won the Asian Media Award for Outstanding Young Journalist of the Year and was also named the University of Salford-supported Outstanding Young Journalist. In 2020 he received the MHP 30 to Watch Young Political Journalist Award, in 2022 he was named Journalist of the Year by the BBFC, and in 2025 he won the Chartered Institute of Journalists Young Political Journalist Award.

Leaving ITV News and Joining Zeteo UK

In 2026, after more than seven years at ITV News, Khan announced he was leaving the broadcaster and joined Zeteo UK as Political Editor at its UK launch. He also hosts a new interview show, “The Real Question with Shehab Khan”, featuring senior figures in British politics as well as figures from academia, journalism and public life. The first episode, released on launch day, featured Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey. The move changes the rules of his journalism. At ITV News, journalists work under impartiality requirements overseen by Ofcom and cannot openly express personal political opinions. Zeteo, by contrast, is an avowedly opinionated independent outlet, funded purely by subscribers, which says it is open about its perspective while still reporting rigorously. Khan has been candid about why that appealed to him. He told Press Gazette he found the boundaries of impartiality tough towards the end of his ITV career, and that there were moments when he wished he could say what he really thought. At Zeteo, he said, the outlet can call things out for what it believes them to be, holding every politician to the same level regardless of party. He has also stressed what Zeteo UK is not: a breaking-news outlet. Instead, he said, it is a place for thoughtful, longer pieces and interviews, with his show expected two or three times a week. That subscriber-funded, interview-led model is a deliberate bet that audiences will pay for distinctive voices as well as neutral bulletins, and Khan’s appointment puts him at the forefront of that experiment in Britain.

What Is Shehab Khan Doing Now?

As of 2026, Shehab Khan is Political Editor of Zeteo UK and host of “The Real Question with Shehab Khan” — a former ITV News correspondent and presenter, not a current one. His Zeteo work centres on interviews and political analysis, and his move is reported in the Press Gazette account of why he left ITV News to help launch Zeteo UK.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Shehab Khan?

Shehab Khan is a British political journalist and the Political Editor of Zeteo UK, previously a political correspondent and presenter at ITV News and, before that, a reporter at The Independent.

Why did Shehab Khan leave ITV News?

Khan left ITV News in 2026 after more than seven years to join Zeteo UK as Political Editor, where he also hosts “The Real Question with Shehab Khan”. He said he wanted the freedom to say what he thought, after finding broadcast impartiality rules restrictive late in his ITV career.

Is Shehab Khan still at ITV News?

No. Shehab Khan is a former ITV News political correspondent and presenter. His current role is Political Editor of Zeteo UK.

What is The Real Question with Shehab Khan?

It is his interview show at Zeteo UK, featuring senior political figures and other public figures. Its first episode featured Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey.

What was Shehab Khan’s Hajj documentary?

An ITV documentary written and presented by Khan about his own pilgrimage to Mecca, first aired on ITV1 in July 2023.

What awards has Shehab Khan won?

His awards include the Asian Media Award for Outstanding Young Journalist of the Year (2017), the MHP 30 to Watch Young Political Journalist Award (2020), BBFC Journalist of the Year (2022), and the Chartered Institute of Journalists Young Political Journalist Award (2025).