Following the Government statement on Johnston Press going into administration and its subsequent acquisition by a new consortium of its creditors, JPI Media, Shailesh Vara pays tribute to the Hunts Post and Peterborough Telegraph and urges the Government to ensure that the new consortium do more than the statutory minimum to help those who will lose their jobs.

Mr Shailesh Vara (North West Cambridgeshire) (Con)

May I first pay tribute to my two local newspapers, the Hunts Post, whose editor is Daniel Mansfield, and the Peterborough Telegraph, which is now owned by JPI Media, and in particular the editor, Mark Edwards, and his staff, who do a fantastic job serving the local community?

My right hon. and learned Friend spoke of the need to reduce debts by £85 million and the possibility of job losses. Will he give the House an assurance that the next time he speaks with Mr David King, he will press him not only to do the statutory minimum to help these people, but to do anything else that can be reasonably expected to help those who are unfortunate enough to lose their jobs?

Jeremy Wright

Yes.