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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Robyn Vinter

Abu Dhabi-backed Telegraph takeover plan ‘unacceptable’, says ex-MI6 chief

A man holds a copy of The Daily Telegraph,
The newspaper group was put up for sale in June after the failure of the current owners, the Barclay family, to repay debts of £1.15bn to Lloyds Banking Group. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

The former head of MI6 has labelled the planned Abu Dhabi-backed takeover of the Telegraph newspaper as “completely unacceptable” and a “profound security concern”.

Sir Richard Dearlove said an authoritarian state acquiring an influential newspaper poses a risk to the UK and its democracy, and urged ministers to intervene and block the deal.

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