Free Republic

It is ironic that the German publisher whose interest in The Daily Telegraph prompted Richard Desmond's outburst was once shut down by the Nazis and later became dedicated to reconciliation between his nation and the Jews. Before he became one of the most influential newspaper publishers in Germany, the late Axel Springer learned his trade at the Altonaer Nachrichten, a small paper near Hamburg. In 1941, it was shut down for failing to comply with Nazi standards. The details of Mr Springer's life were not directly attacked by Mr Desmond this week when the owner of the Daily Express began...

MICHAEL HOWARD attended a secret lunch with Richard Desmond, owner of the Express group and favourite to buy the troubled Daily Telegraph, to try to secure a promise that the newspaper will continue to support the Tories. The meeting took place only hours after it was announced that Lord Black of Crossharbour was stepping down as chief executive of Hollinger International, the Telegraph’s parent group, over allegations of millions of pounds of unauthorised payments. Monday’s lunch took place at the Westminster home of Lord Ashcroft, the former Tory treasurer, and the party’s wealthiest supporter, who is a long-standing friend of...