Speaking to the BBC yesterday, Luton South MP Gavin Shuker confirmed the worst-kept secret in print, claiming "we are very happy to have a national newspaper printed in Luton".

He claimed that the company had been given planning permission for a print facility, which would handle Express and Star titles.

Shuker described the move as the first phase of the group's plans, which would create around 300 jobs in the area.

However, he speculated that a second phase could bring the editorial team as well, which would create up to 1,400 jobs in total.

It has been well known that Express Group owner Richard Desmond has been moving his printing to Luton, having invested a rumoured £100m on presses from KBA.

However, the usually publicity-hungry media mogul has been uncharacteristically shy when it comes to his new plant, refusing to comment on the move and filtering snippets of information out through his flagship Daily Express title.