MINTER COURT

Times:

DUNCAN LEWIS, the former chief executive of Mercury, the telecoms firm, has emerged as the front-runner to replace Graham Wallace in the top executive post at Cable & Wireless.
Mr Lewis has resigned his shadow directorship of the struggling cable company NTL less than four months after agreeing to take on the role. The move leaves him free to return to the company where he made his name if, as many believe is almost inevitable, the job becomes vacant. Mercury used to be owned by C&W.