UK Scrutinizes Abu Dhabi-Backed Takeover of The Telegraph and The Spectator

Concerns over press freedom and foreign influence prompt government inquiry into RedBird IMI's proposed acquisition.

Abu Dhabi-backed RedBird IMI's proposed takeover of The Telegraph and The Spectator is under scrutiny by UK regulators and the Cabinet Office over concerns of foreign influence and national security.
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer has issued a Public Interest Intervention Notice (PIIN), allowing regulator Ofcom and the Competition and Markets Authority to examine the bid.
Former CNN CEO Jeff Zucker, who leads RedBird IMI, has pledged that his financial partner, an Emirati royal, would have no involvement in editorial matters and would resign if there was any attempt to intervene in the journalism of the publications.
Concerns have been raised about the potential impact on press freedom and the spread of influence by non-democratic governments in British media.
The proposed takeover has been criticized by politicians and media leaders, including former Conservative Party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith and Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner.