TELEVISION presenter Charlotte Hawkins has left Meridian and joined Sky.

And, just days later, it has been confirmed that co-presenter Phil Hornby is also changing jobs, although he is to stay with the channel and become ITV Meridian's political editor.

It was a post he held before switching to the presenters' desk.

He replaced avuncular Geoff Clark, who defected to BBC South East in Tunbridge Wells after Meridian’s decision to switch presentation from Kent to Hampshire.

The move, which cost jobs and provoked an outcry by staff, involved the closure of studios in New Hythe and opening of new ones in Maidstone.

Since then, the BBC evening news programme has challenged the former ratings dominance of its rival programme Meridian Tonight.

ITV Meridian spokeswoman Alison Pope said the double departure meant there would be a completely new presentation team in place, probably by the middle of next month.

She said Mr Hornby had decided to go because of the political climate, which will involve a change of prime minister.

She said: "Everything’s getting much more exciting and he wanted to be in Westminster which is obviously where his heart lies."

As for the ratings, Ms Pope said they fluctuated. "Sometimes the BBC are ahead of us and sometimes we are ahead of the BBC. The last couple of weeks we have been slightly below the BBC."

She denied that switching presentation to Whiteley had affected viewing figures. "I don’t think viewers are aware of where the programme is broadcast from.

"We have a really strong editorial team based in Kent. The quality of the journalism hasn’t diminished at all."