The Telegraph could be acquired by RedBird IMI, a fund backed by the UAE vice president. Photo: Jamie Lorriman
An Anglican bishop has spoken out against the attempted takeover of The Telegraph by the United Arab Emirates, saying it should not be allowed «anywhere near our free press».
The Bishop of Leeds, the Rt Revd Nick Baines, said ownership of a British newspaper by a foreign government was «potentially dangerous».
Both The Telegraph and The Spectator are the subject of a takeover bid by RedBird IMI, a fund backed by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al. -Nahyan, Vice President of the UAE.
The potential acquisition has raised concerns about the editorial independence of the publications, as well as fears that the UAE could use them as a tool to influence British politics and foreign policy.
Bishop Baines, Church of England Leader Bishop for Media in the House of Lords , said it shared concerns about the deal.
“I think there is a particular argument to be made about whether any foreign government should own a media outlet,” he told The Telegraph. “You could say there is something potentially dangerous here.”
He added: “Personally, I don’t think the Emirates or any government should be anywhere close to our free press.”
Reverend Nick Baines says the takeover bid is part of a wider crisis over Britain's constitutional culture. Photo: ROGER HARRIS
Before coming to the Church, Bishop Baines worked as a French, German and Russian linguist for GCHQ.
His first career meant that he «read Pravda every day» and therefore «fully understood what it meant to have a state-owned media » «It doesn't take long to move from what I would call freedom, the whole structure of freedom, to something much more sinister,» he said.
Bishop Baines said he saw the takeover bid as part of a wider crisis in Britain's constitutional culture, linked to events such as the government's controversial Rwanda Bill.
“I'm 66 years old and if 10 years «You said back that we would consider if we passed legislation where the Secretary of State, on the face of it, could not guarantee that the bill complied with our obligations under international law, we would have said that it could not be done,» he said.
“So a culture that's a little bit Trumpian, that we can just break everything, means that I think it's harder to resist things like foreign ownership because we're quite willing to break everything else, ignore others, I think , ethical obligations.“I think this issue for The Telegraph and The Spectator is simply part of a much wider cultural, constitutional – would I call it a crisis? I think yes, it raises fundamental questions that cannot simply be dismissed.
“There needs to be a much bigger and deeper debate in this country, not just about The Telegraph and The Spectator, but about the ownership of the media, the constitution and how we behave in relation to our institutions.»
Last month, Lucy Fraser, the culture secretary, ordered Ofcom to conduct a second investigation into the takeover, prompting 11 hourly change in the corporate structure through which RedBird IMI plans to own The Telegraph.
Ofcom is now due to report by March 11.
Свежие комментарии