Foreign governments face ban on owning British newspapers – effectively blocking Telegraph takeover bid

Business

The government is expected to commit to banning foreign governments from owning British newspapers and magazines, effectively blocking an Abu Dhabi-led takeover of the Daily and Sunday Telegraph and Spectator magazine.

Sky News understands the commitment will see the government pledge to ban the foreign state ownership, influence or control of newspapers and news magazines in the UK.

The commitment, expected to be set out in the House of Lords this afternoon, will come in an amendment to the third reading of the Digital Markets Act, currently making its way through Parliament.

The move comes as peers prepare to debate an amendment, brought by Baroness Stowell, calling for the banning of foreign state ownership in response to the proposed takeover of the Telegraph titles by Redbird-IMI, a US-Abu Dhabi joint venture 75% owned by Sheikh Mansour, vice president of the United Arab Emirates.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.

Articles You May Like

One of our lagging stocks has found its stride and is outperforming its peers
Billionaire Gautam Adani charged in New York with massive fraud, bribery scheme
How Elon Musk’s plan to slash government agencies and regulation may benefit his empire
Cosmic Survey Reveals Surge of Black Holes in Dwarf Galaxies
Trump watches SpaceX launch, but test flight does not go as planned