THE CANARY announced today the launch of a daily left-wing tabloid after dissolving its co-operative model and taking on a major shareholder last year.

Following a 2025 cash infusion from used-car and property website founder Cecil Hetherington, Canary director Steve Topple said the new paper will be an alternative to corporate media, billing itself as “the first UK newspaper Murdoch doesn’t own.”

A Hetherington-owned investment firm currently holds between 25 and 50 per cent of the firm’s shares.

As of May 26, a first batch of 20,000 will be distributed to 6,500 newsagents across England and Wales, with a further 5,000 copies to 1,500 additional agents two weeks later.

Mr Topple said: “People have been saying that for years that print is in decline, but essentially from our perspective it’s not dead yet.

“The only equivalent of what we are doing, I suppose, would be the Morning Star, and that isn’t even an equivalent of what we’re doing.”

He added that his outlet was “shouty” and “swears a bit.”

Morning Star editor Ben Chacko said: “At the Morning Star, we’re well aware that the domination of the media by right-wing billionaires is a huge problem.

“We welcome the emergence of new left media to help challenge the artificial consensus the media monopolies try to impose on our society.

“We also believe that there is an ongoing role for print media and welcome this sign of confidence in its continuing relevance at a time printing sites are closing and the industry contracting.

“We would amicably remind The Canary that billing this as ‘the first UK newspaper Murdoch doesn’t own’ isn’t true – the Morning Star is a socialist daily paper co-operatively owned by its readers and 13 national trade unions, available from your newsagent on request six days a week with online subscription and home delivery options!”

The Canary was contacted for comment.