Victoria Derbyshire has been confirmed as BBC Newsnight's new presenter, replacing Emily Maitlis.

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The broadcaster wrote in a tweet that she'll be joining Kirsty Wark and the Newsnight team, adding: "It's one of the best jobs in British journalism and I can't wait to champion more stories about people's lives while holding those who represent them to account."

Emily Maitlis announced in February that she would be leaving the BBC and joining Global, where she's set to host a new podcast with her Americast co-star Jon Sopel.

Derbyshire will become a joint lead presenter on Newsnight from September onwards alongside Kirsty Wark, while Faisal Islam will continue to present regularly.

Derbyshire began her broadcasting career in radio, eventually joining BBC Radio 5 Live in 1998 and hosting Victoria Derbyshire on BBC Two.

She has also presented shows on the BBC News Channel, BBC World News, the News at One and the Ukrainecast podcast.

In a statement, Newsnight editor Stewart Maclean described Derbyshire as "one of the most tenacious journalists in the business".

He added: "[She has] a fantastic ability to ask the straightforward questions our viewers want answered, and a shelf-full of major awards for her work.

"We’re delighted she’s joining us on Newsnight as a lead presenter alongside Kirsty. It's an exciting time for Newsnight, and Victoria and Kirsty will be a formidable partnership at the heart of our presenter line up.”

Derbyshire isn't the only new presenter to be joining a BBC show, with BBC Breakfast announcing Jon Kay as a new permanent host alongside Sally Nugent and Naga Munchetty.

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Lauren Morris
Lauren MorrisEntertainment and Factual Writer
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