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Telegraph sale presents potential national security threat, Tory MPs say

29 Nov 2023 4 minute read
The Daily Telegraph newspaper

A host of Conservative MPs have written to the deputy prime minister urging him to use national security powers to review the potential sale of the Daily Telegraph.

Ministers are being asked to intervene after RedBird IMI, an investment fund owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, vice-president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), reached a deal to purchase the broadsheet newspaper and The Spectator magazine.

In a letter co-ordinated by Neil O’Brien, who was a health minister until the reshuffle a fortnight ago, the 18 MPs said they believed that the proposed transaction “presents a very real potential national security threat”.

Railroaded

The backbenchers said ministers should not be “railroaded into clearing” the change of ownership and should instead “pause the deal” to review its impact on Britain’s security and press freedom.

They urged Oliver Dowden, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s deputy, to conduct a review of the transaction linked to Sheik Mansour, who owns Manchester City football club, by using powers under the National Security and Investment Act (NSI).

RedBird IMI, a joint venture between US firm RedBird Capital and International Media Investments (IMI) of Abu Dhabi, said this month that it had reached a deal with previous owners the Barclay family.

The deal would see debts the Barclays owed to Lloyds repaid, the fund said.

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said last week she was “minded” to open an investigation into whether the deal was against the public interest, and the effect it may have on the ability to report freely.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport said she was still considering whether to issue a Public Interest Intervention Notice (PIIN).

Scrutiny

The letter, whose signatories also include Foreign Affairs Select Committee chairwoman Alicia Kearns and former Tory Party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, says that UAE funding deals have come under scrutiny in the United States recently, due to the country’s “increasingly close relations with China”.

The MPs said the “influence” that the Telegraph sale would give to a “foreign government that is strengthening its relationship with Beijing at a time of growing tensions is even more troubling”.

The MPs, highlighting human rights charity Amnesty International’s concerns over the “serious implications” for media freedom if the deal goes ahead, said the sale could “imperil these publications’ ability to report freely, which clearly poses a national security risk”.

They told Mr Dowden: “We therefore think that, in addition to the sensible steps already taken, now is the time for the Government to announce that it will use its powers under the National Security and Investment Act to scrutinise this deal fully.

“Taking action under the NSI Act would not prejudice the bid and those involved in it.

“Instead, much like a Public Interest Intervention Notice, it would enable the Government to gather the necessary information and examine the proposed transactions in detail.

“Lloyds Banking Group and the Barclay family have set an artificial deadline of completing the transaction this week, but they have been discussing this unpaid debt for years now.

“Rather than being railroaded into clearing a transaction by interested parties we believe that the Government should instead pause the deal and take its time to fully look into all the issues, from the impact on press freedom and journalistic standards in the UK, to the impact it would have on our national security.”

Other MPs to have signed the letter include Robert Courts, chairman of the Defence Select Committee, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, Richard Drax, Simon Fell, James Grundy, Sir John Hayes, Simon Jupp, Jonathan Lord, Craig Mackinlay, Jill Mortimer, John Redwood, Selaine Saxby, Alec Shelbrooke, Andrew Selous and Sir Desmond Swayne.

The Cabinet Office and RedBird IMI have been contacted for comment.


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Fi yn unig
Fi yn unig
1 year ago

Hopefully it will become less of a threat to Welsh national security. It is quite staggering to hear the ‘sell everything that is of any use to the public off to anyone and everyone’ party making a stand on a bigot rag but I suppose on the other hand, they would be losing one of their leading mind control outlets. They still have plenty of others though so no loss maybe.

Jeff
Jeff
1 year ago

This is the Conservative Party ideal though. Flogging off stuff. And calling press freedom an issue after all the attacks and misinformation the Telegraph has run, the absolute idiot columnists they host, really? Also funny they dont go are our infrastructure that has been sold off and the NHS going to the US data firm linked to Trump. Very quiet they are there. The torygraph is a venomous organ and will be rolled out to attack everyone apart from the cons at the next election. Perhaps the Cons need to focus on the old owners. Focus on the off shore… Read more »

anthony owen
anthony owen
1 year ago

No problem for Lord Lebedev owning the Evening Standard and The Independent. Seems that only a certain kind of threat must be challenged.

Charles Coombes
Charles Coombes
1 year ago

The Torygraph, is a free agent and can be sold to the highest bidder. Just like the Railways etc. Irony ?

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