Evening Standard staff to meet board

Evening Standard staff are to have a meeting with the management on Friday after being assured by the managing editor, Doug Wills, there are "no plans" to merge with the Independent. Last month the Russian billionaire Alexander Lebedev, owner of the London Evening Standard, bought the Independent and Independent on Sunday newspapers. At a meeting on the editorial floor this morning, Wills asked staff for nominations for four editorial representatives. They will attend a meeting on Friday with Wills and the managing director, Andrew Mullins. Wills told staff what he was about to tell them was not urgent or "dramatic" but that he was legally obliged to tell them what is happening with the Independent now that the Lebedevs have bought it. However, as one who attended the meeting said: "It doesn't sound very non-urgent!" Lebedev bought the loss-making paper from the Irish company Independent News & Media for £1. The former KGB agent bought the Evening Standard, also for £1, last year. The paper is now given away free, and has seen its readership grow sharply as a result. There is speculation that Lebedev also plans to give away copies of the Independent titles. • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email [email protected] or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. • If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".