Barry Johnson obituary

Wed, 18 Feb 2026

My former colleague Barry Johnson, who has died aged 67 from bowel cancer, was a skilled and much respected Guardian journalist from 1986 until 2021, during which time his roles included home newsdesk editor and chief subeditor. Those who worked with him remember his intelligence, kindness, wit and unflappable calm.

Barry was born in Liverpool, the son of Molly (Muriel, nee Newbery) and Sydney Johnson. His father was a bank manager, and his mother had been a wartime land worker, a Norland nanny and then a matron at a school for blind children.