Duncan Larcombe, previously royal correspondent at the Sun, has been made defence editor at the newspaper. Larcombe will be responsible for continuing the tabloid's coverage of the Afghanistan war and its wider coverage of servicemen and their families.

Larcombe, a politics graduate of Swansea University, joined the Sun in 2001 as a reporter, and has since covered the September 11 attacks, the Soham murders and the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami.

Prior to joining the Sun he spent 18 months as a reporter for Ferrari Press Agency, and three years as a cub reporter on the Kent and Sussex Courier.

Larcombe told Journalism.co.uk that he believes his time with the press agency has proved to be invaluable experience:

"My advice to anyone wanting to get a job at a national paper like The Sun is to try and cut their teeth on a press agency. In my mind, I would never have managed to get to The Sun without my period at Ferrari. It is a perfect introduction to national stories, what news desks require and the pace of work on a daily."