TATTON MP George Osborne has been appointed editor of the London Evening Standard, its owner has announced.

The former chancellor will begin the role in May, and insists he will continue to serve as Tatton MP.

Evgeny Lebedev, owner of the London Evening Standard, wrote on Twitter: "Thrilled to announce the new editor of the Evening Stadard is George Osborne.

"I am proud to have an editor of such substance, who reinforces the Standard's standing and influence in London and whose political viewpoint - socially liberal and economically pragmatic - closely matches that of many of our readers.

"George is London through and through and I am confident he is the right person to build on the fantastic legacy of Sarah Sands."

Mr Osborne has vowed to continue to serve his constituents despite taking on the new role.

He said: "I remain passionate about the Northern Powerhouse and will continue to promote that cause.

"Right from the first speech I gave about the north of England, I've said that London needs a successful north and the north benefits from its links to a global city like London.

"It's not a zero-sum game, but quite the opposite."

The former chancellor will replace the current editor Sarah Sands, who is leaving the Standard after five years to join the BBC.

He will take up his role in early May, editing the paper an average of four days a week.

The newspaper said: "The Standard's schedule will enable Mr Osborne to edit the paper and continue to fulfil his other commitments, including as an MP - giving him the time to vote and contribute in Parliament in the afternoon after the paper has gone to print, and be in his constituency.

"He will edit the paper an average of four days a week."

Mr Osborne described his new role as an 'exciting and challenging job', saying he was 'thrilled to take it on'.

He said: "Growing up as a Londoner, I've always known that the Evening Standard is an institution that plays a huge part in the life of the city and its people.

"Now it is a great honour that I can play a part as leader of the editorial team making the Evening Standard the definitive voice of the world's most exciting city.

"I am proud to be a Conservative MP, but as editor and leader of a team of dedicated and independent journalists, our only interest will be to give a voice to all Londoners."

Mr Osborne is now seeking the advice of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments on his new role, the newspaper said.

His new job comes on top of a £650,000-a-year post working for a US asset management fund, announced last week.

Mr Osborne told the Commons Register of Members' Interests he expected to be paid £162,500 every three months for 12 days working as an "adviser on the global economy" for the BlackRock Investment Institute.

This comes on top of his £74,000 salary as a backbench MP, while he has also registered more than £780,000 in payments for making 14 speeches since last September.