Speculation over INM London titles after meetings with Russian investor

FRESH speculation has arisen over the future ownership of Independent News & Media’s (INM) two main London-based newspaper titles — the Independent and the Independent on Sunday — after meetings were held with Russian billionaire investor Alexander Lebedev.

Former KGB agent, Mr Lebedev, who is known to be keen to buy into the British newspaper industry, is understood to have recently been meeting a number of players in the sector.

While it is also believed the meeting regarding the Independent titles were informal meetings with newspaper management rather than official talks with INM executives over a sale of the titles, reports in the British press suggest the talks are ongoing and dependent on the outcome of separate talks Mr Lebedev is conducting with Daily Mail & General Trust (DMGT) over its London title, the Evening Standard.