Express Newspapers group managing editor Ian Parrott leaves the company in surprise exit
The long-serving group managing editor of Richard Desmond's Express Newspapers, Ian Parrott, is understood to have left the company as part of a restructure.
However, according to The Guardian, Express Newspapers parent company Northern & Shell has declined to comment on the exit of the group managing editor of the Daily Express, Sunday Express, Daily Star and Daily Star Sunday.
The Guardian reported that Parrott had been aiming to meet target savings of £5 million within the newspaper division, under instructions from deliver parent company Northern & Shell. This included cutting about 70 editorial posts out of almost 500 staff at Express Newspapers.
The paper adds that, separately, the ramifications of last month's arrest of Tom Savage, the deputy news editor of the Daily Star Sunday, are being felt by editorial staff.
Savage, who has been bailed until October pending further inquiries, was arrested as part of Operation Elveden, the Metropolitan police investigation into alleged illegal payments to public officials.
The Guardian report claimst: “Express Newspapers editorial and casual staff are understood to have received an email a little over a week ago from Isabel Keith, head of legal, saying that police have requested all emails be kept.
“This was followed up by a letter sent to each member of staff by Paul Ashford, editorial director responsible for the Daily Star, Daily Star Sunday, Daily Express and Sunday Express.
“The three-page letter, which talks about anti-bribery and corruption rules at the company, included the publisher's code of conduct as well as more than a dozen points highlighting good practice. There is space left at the end of the letter for staff to sign.”