UK government was ‘scared’, says man behind failed UAE-backed Telegraph bid

RedBird IMI effectively took control of the Telegraph newspapers and the Spectator magazine in December when it repaid the debts of their owners. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA

The former CNN executive who fronted a failed bid for the Telegraph newspaper by a UAE-backed consortium has suggested the government was not willing to listen to assurances about editorial neutrality.

Jeff Zucker said there were figures in the UK who were “scared” of the £600m deal, which would have seen the Abu Dhabi-backed consortium, RedBird IMI, take control of the Telegraph and Spectator.