The rumour mill is working overtime at the Telegraph following the departure of Sunday editor Sarah Sands. The latest is that the newspaper operations are to merge into a 7-day operation.
The rumour has been fuelled by the imminent arrival of Scotland on Sunday editor Iain Martin as assistant editor of Telegraph newspapers - working across both titles. Less than 4 months ago John Bryant arrived in Canary Wharf as editor-in-chief of both titles. Since then the editors of both the Daily and the Sunday have left. Martin Newland has still not been permanently replaced as editor of the daily, with Bryant "acting" as editor.
Another set of rumours obviously surrounds personnel. Who will leave the Sunday Telegraph when Patience Wheatcroft arrives from the Times. And who will she bring with her? Assistant editor Andrew Pierce?
And who will replace Wheatcroft as Times business editor? Sunday Times economics editor David Smith? Current deputy Robert Cole? Sun business editor Ian King? Former Guardian financial editor Paul Murphy?
And the questions about Sands' departure continue: one very interesting suggestion about the abrupt nature of the move concerns the Mandrake column. A week last Sunday, the diary column carried a story about Mark Bolland, the Prince of Wales' former press spokesman. Describing him as "this turbulent PR man", it poured scorn on Bolland's professionalism, with royal biographer William Shawcross rebuking him for his lack of "loyalty and discretion" to Prince Charles. This would hardly have gone down well with Telegraph Group chief executive, Murdoch MacLennan. MacLennan is a good friend of Bolland's and was a witness at his recent civil partnership to Guy Black. Black is of course, director of corporate affairs at the Telegraph Group.
