The chief executive of Trinity Mirror has said it is “fit and proper” to take over Local World, despite potentially facing more than 100 cases of alleged phone hacking at its national titles.

Simon Fox, the chief executive of the publisher of the Daily Mirror, was asked if there is a parallel between the phone-hacking issue that stopped News Corporation taking full control of Sky and whether Trinity Mirror is fit to takeover Local World.

In 2011, Ofcom launched an investigation to see if Sky was fit to hold a broadcasting licence because of the hacking scandal at News Corporation, which then controlled a 39% stake in Sky.

Fox, speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Media Show, said it is not right to make a comparison with what is now News UK and Trinity Mirror as the new owner of Local World.

“[Those who draw the parallel] would find that the newsroom culture is completely different to how it was 10 or 12 years ago,” he said. “We are absolutely fit and proper. We adhere to the highest possible journalistic standards. I’m completely confident in the quality of our journalism today. It happened a long time ago.”

A direct comparison, if not the suggestion behind it, is slightly misleading in the sense that the actual test can only be applied by Ofcom to TV companies under the Broadcasting Act 1990, it does not apply to newspapers per se.

Fox also refused to rule out a potential bid for Richard Desmond’s Express Newspapers, owner of the Express and Star titles.

“When markets are shrinking … it is likely there will be some consolidation,” he said, echoing comments he made to the Guardian last week. “We have a strong balance sheet. We still have the capability to make other acquisitions. I wouldn’t rule out doing anything.”