He had previously written for the The Daily Telegraph, where he was described by The Independent as a 'star columnist', but left in early 2006 after being offered a salary of £120,000 by the Daily Mail.[1][2] He is the son of the journalist T. E. Utley. A Roman Catholic,[3] Utley is the father of four boys.[4] He is a smoker who has opposed various restrictions on smoking.[5].