Diamond firm De Beers has received a £12 billion takeover bid from a consortium including mining firm Anglo American and South Africa's Oppenheimer family.

The board of De Beers said it believed the transaction would offer "fair value for the diamond business".

It would also unlock the cross-shareholding structure between London-listed Anglo and De Beers.

At present, Anglo owns 32.2per cent of De Beers, which in turn owns 35.4 per cent of Anglo.