Darwin Templeton is to become the new editor of the Belfast News Letter.

The former Belfast Telegraph journalist, who is currently acting editor of UTV Insight, will join the Johnston Press paper next month.

He succeeds Austin Hunter, who stood down from the role earlier this year.

Darwin (pictured) said: “It is a great honour to be joining a journalistic institution like the News Letter.

“I am looking forward to taking up the post and I will relish the challenge of building on the foundations put in place by my predecessors.

“This is a time of change in Northern Ireland and I hope to reflect that change in the pages of the News Letter, while retaining the loyalty and support of our traditional readers.”

The 36-year-old began his newspaper career as a trainee at the Belfast Telegraph in 1991.

He later became news editor of sister paper Sunday Life, before becoming Northern Ireland correspondent of the News of the World and The Sun and then returning to the Belfast Telegraph as chief reporter.

He joined UTV in 2001, where he worked as a news reporter before joining the Insight current affairs programme three years ago.