Leading shareholders in Mirror Group, the newspaper company, are pressing for the removal of Mr David Montgomery, its chief executive, if he stands in the way of a takeover or merger with another group.

The news came as Mirror Group yesterday rejected the £913 million sterling (#1.3 billion) takeover offer from Regional Independent Media but left the door open for further talks. In a late statement to the City, Mirror Group said the 200p-a-share offer and other proposals were "not adequate". The revolt against Mr Montgomery, who is blamed by some of the shareholders for blocking a possible merger with Trinity, the regional newspaper group, has come amid a public dispute over the group's future.