Conditions sought for 'Independent'

Richard Caborn, Labour chairman of the Trade and Industry Select Committee, urged Michael Heseltine, President of the Board of Trade, to impose conditions on a bid for Newspaper Publishing PLC, publishers of the Independent and the Independent on Sunday, by a consortium including Mirror Group Newspapers.

In a letter he said share ownership should not be allowed to change hands to allow one of the consortium members to have outright control without referral to the DTI. He also called for conditions which produce 'editorial independence'.