Simon Armitage named the new Poet Laureate

The British Poet Laureate is an honorary position appointed by the monarch of the United Kingdom. Simon Armitage succeeds Dame Carol Ann Duffy in the post. The Queen has approved the appointment for a fixed term of 10 years. 

Armitage said he wants to "help poetry explore its potential" in a multi-media age. "I hope poets, readers and audiences will support me in my efforts". 

In 2015, Armitage was elected Oxford Professor of Poetry and in 2017 he was appointed Professor of Poetry at the University of Leeds. He is a judge on the Jon Stallworthy Poetry Prize, run by Wolfson College together with the English Faculty at Oxford.