Chris Blackhurst: Mirror takeover chatter gets Richard Desmond fuming again

As someone who once worked for Richard Desmond I got used to his turn of phrase, particularly in regard to his rival corporate bosses.

“Mr F***ing Baked Bean” was how I recall him referring to Tony O’Reilly, the then newspaper magnate and former head of Heinz.

So his invitation to Simon Fox of Trinity Mirror to “Fox off” with talk of a deal to buy Desmond’s Express Newspapers comes as no surprise.

While Desmond waxes on about having built up “a private media group with massive cash reserves and advertising access to 38.5 million people or 74% of the population” not being for sale to the Mirror, the sales of which are “down 29.4% year on year”, I wonder what else is occupying him.

From his office window in the old Samuel Montagu building which he owns, right by the Thames, Desmond has a superb view of The Shard, built by Irvine Sellar.