Fleet Street rivals bury the hatchet - in Murdoch

In an unprecedented alliance Fleet Street rivals, the Guardian, Telegraph, Mail and Mirror have joined with the BBC and Channel 4 to urge business secretary Vince Cable to block Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation taking full control of BSkyB.

In a joint letter to Cable, the alliance of newspaper publishers and broadcasters say the "proposed takeover could have serious and far-reaching consequences for media plurality".

According to the Guardian, the letter is signed by Murdoch MacLennan, chief executive of Telegraph Media Group; Sly Bailey, chief executive of Trinity Mirror; and Andrew Miller, chief executive of Guardian Media Group.

They are joined by Mark Thompson, director general of the BBC; Ian Livingston, chief executive of BT; and David Abraham, chief executive of Channel 4.

• The Finacial Times has signalled its opposition to the proposed bid in a leader article.