The Times and Sunday Times have applied to the Government to ask for more “flexibility to share resources” across the two titles, which have separate editors, editorial teams and newsrooms.

In a statement, Times Newspapers’ owner News UK said it was asking for a “small change” to undertakings first put in place to maintain the independence of both titles when Rupert Murdoch bought them in 1981.

An application has been made to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and will be considered by Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright.