CMA and Ofcom to examine DMGT takeover amid fears merger could curb ‘diverging editorial stances’ in press

Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, has referred the Telegraph’s proposed sale to the publisher of the Daily Mail to the competition and media watchdogs, weeks after she raised concerns about the consolidation of rightwing newspapers.

Nandy said she was using her powers to refer the £500m deal for the Telegraph titles, which include the Daily Telegraph and its Sunday sister paper, to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and the media regulator Ofcom.

Job losses and programming cancellations expected after Tim Davie tells staff broadcaster is not a ‘protected species’

The BBC is to pursue cuts of up to £600m that will result in job losses and the end of some programming, amid concerns at a decline in the number of households paying the licence fee.

Tim Davie, the outgoing director general, told staff that the broadcaster was not a “protected species” and that 10% of the BBC’s costs would have to be cut over the next three years.