`Daily Star' to lose 45 journalists

Express Newspapers announced yesterday that it was making 45 journalists redundant from the Daily Star, but denied rumours that reporters had to clear their desks by the weekend.

The company, which is run by the Labour-supporting peer Lord Hollick, said it would consult with the National Union of Journalists about the job losses before giving notice to staff. The company also announced it would be investing pounds 3m to increase the number of pages in the paper and to pay for more giveaway promotions. Eighty-five journalists were made redundant at Express titles last year as a condition for Lord Hollick investing in a new sports supplement and a beefed-up marketing campaign. Paul McCann