Media Guido is hearing of big movements over at the Times. Witherow is, as expected, swinging the axe…

Roland Watson is out as Political Editor – he’s been told to apply for Foreign Editor apparently – a desk getting squeezed.

Cameron biographer Francis Elliot will replace him and Sam Coates is coming back  from the scaled-back business desk to the Lobby.

Guido is hearing conflicting reports of his job title, though it is expected to be along the lines of Deputy Political Editor or Associate Political Editor.

Some twenty newsroom sackings are said to be imminent.

In lighter news, the much missed Times Diary is set to return.

UPDATE: US sources suggest that Witherow has also axed the Times’ Wall Street correspondent with the expectation being that they will share content with the Wall Street Journal. The New York features writer has also been given the bullet. Developing…

UPDATE II: Guido understands no more cuts are hitting the business desk beyond Coates and the Wall Street correspondent. Apparently the brunt of the staff cuts are in sections with less affluent readers.