An application has been made to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport for a small change to be made to the undertakings that were put in place when Rupert Murdoch acquired both newspapers in 1981.

The change would allow more flexibility to share resources across the titles, while continuing to commit to them remaining as separate newspapers with separate editors. This would enable the papers to contend with the continual disruption that has faced the media industry in the digital age.

John Witherow, editor of The Times, said, “The persistent cost pressures facing our industry mean that we need to manage our newsrooms as carefully as possible. We need to stay competitive in an increasingly difficult market so that we can continue to build a sustainable future for Times journalism.”

Martin Ivens, editor of The Sunday Times, said, “The Sunday Times remains the biggest selling broadsheet in Britain and to protect our distinctive voice we need the freedom to work more closely to avoid duplication and invest more in the agenda-setting journalism we are famous for.”

The DCMS has issued an Invitation to Comment.