Skip to main content

Kwasi Kwarteng’s opaque stance on BT ownership is not helping | Nils Pratley

The company really does not need to take an excursion into high-leverage financial engineering

Is the UK’s broadband infrastructure a vital national asset that must not be allowed to fall into the arms of, say, a Swiss-based French telecoms tycoon with a taste for financing his ventures with oodles of debt?

Come back another day – possibly – to discover the government’s view. Tuesday’s ruling on Patrick Drahi’s 18% stake in BT was a fudge. No action will be taken on the billionaire’s current holding under the new, and theoretically muscular, National Security and Investment Act. But we’re none the wiser as to what would happen if Drahi ups his stake to, say, 20% or 25%, or mounts a full-blown takeover bid.

Continue reading...

from The Guardian https://ift.tt/iJaEjS5
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Details of F.B.I.’s Kavanaugh Inquiry Show Its Restricted Range

By MICHAEL D. SHEAR, SHERYL GAY STOLBERG, MAGGIE HABERMAN and MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2QhwZyw
Post a Comment
Read more

Sky apologise for Scott Williams’ remark after darts win over German opponent

English player references ‘two world wars and one World Cup’ Williams beat Germany’s Martin Schindler 4-3 in third round Scott Williams has sparked controversy at the PDC world darts championship by referring to “two world wars and one World Cup” after his third-round victory over Germany’s Martin Schindler. Williams won a thrilling encounter by four sets to three as the tournament resumed at London’s Alexandra Palace after its Christmas break. The qualifier fought back from 2-0 and 3-2 down to win the deciding set amid a raucous atmosphere – but it was his post-match interview that caught wider attention. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/e2cVvgH
Post a Comment
Read more