Telegraph Newspapers

Question

15:33:00

Asked by

To ask His Majesty’s Government whether they plan to intervene to force a sale of Telegraph newspapers, in accordance with Chapter 3A of Part 3 of the Enterprise Act 2002, to prevent the ownership, control, or influence of a foreign power.

The public interest intervention notice on the Telegraph sale that was issued by the previous Government is still in place. This means that the Culture Secretary has to make decisions on this in a quasi-judicial capacity, and it would therefore be inappropriate for me to comment on specifics. The Telegraph has a long and proud tradition as a valued national newspaper, and the Government are committed to seeing that continue and the newspaper thrive.

My Lords, it is a year since this House voted to put beyond doubt the possibility of a foreign Government or power owning a British newspaper, yet ownership of the Telegraph remains unresolved. The newspaper continues to function, and all credit to those involved, but the situation is unsustainable because the business needs the freedom to move on. I hear what the Minister says, but after all this time, when there is no sign of a deal, can she tell us how long the Government intend to wait before using their powers to intervene and force a sale, however regrettable such an intervention would be? When will the Government bring forward the secondary legislation to provide a capped exemption for indirectly controlled foreign state investment funds, which is important to the sustainability of all parts of the news industry?

I hear the frustration from the noble Baroness. I know she has been campaigning on this for some time. The Government have not issued a foreign state influence notice because RedBird IMI has signalled its intention to sell in compliance with the new law prohibiting foreign state ownership of newspapers, so the Government are allowing it to conduct the sale. On the SI to which the noble Baroness referred, there has been a general election in the interim since the legislation was passed by the previous Government. Ministers recognise the high importance of foreign states not being allowed to influence the policy of UK newspapers, but there should be a balance to encourage investment into the press sector. Therefore, we are carefully considering a response to the consultation. We hope to publish a response very soon and lay the SI shortly after that.

My Lords, I declare an interest as an employee of the Telegraph Media Group. I am grateful for what the Minister says about the sense of urgency, but it has not been apparent so far, and this has gone on for a long time. Newspapers live by deadlines, not such a familiar phenomenon in the quasi-judicial capacity, and we really do need the deadline to be met. This affects the newspaper most importantly, but does the Minister agree that it also makes it quite difficult for potential buyers and the seller, because they do not understand the terms on which they are doing it? The delay is fundamental to the whole problem.

I am not sure that the company selling the Telegraph is unclear about the rules under which it is operating. We are allowing the company RedBird IMI to conduct the sale. DCMS meets regularly with representatives from the parties and is monitoring the situation closely, but it is the clear intention of the parties to sell as soon as possible.

My Lords, there is clearly a focus on national newspapers, but many people rely on local trusted media sources for their news—I think of the Doncaster Free Press, but I am sure all Members of your Lordships’ House will know their own local media source. They have faced considerable pressures in recent years. Can my noble friend the Minister outline what the Government are doing to support local media outlets?

My noble friend makes a really important point, particularly in this age when so many people find it difficult to know which media source to trust. A lot of people get their trusted news from local media sources, so sustainability of local journalism is an area of particular concern for this Government. We are developing a local media strategy in recognition of the importance of this vital sector, reflecting the contributions and perspectives of local media that help to foster a self-confident nation in which everyone feels that their contribution and area of the country are part of an inclusive national story.

My Lords, will the Minister give us an idea—or at least an understanding of the Government’s intent—on whether we are going to ban for ever foreign ownership, or just state foreign ownership, of any of our broadsheet papers? If they cease to exist, where do we go from there?

The noble Lord portrays a very bleak future in which we do not have the national newspapers of which so many of us are proud and about which noble Lords from across the House clearly feel very passionate. The SI mentioned by the noble Baroness, Lady Stowell, relates to an SI that has exceptions to the regime, around foreign investment, but does not go as far as allowing foreign state ownership or influence on the policy of UK newspapers.

My Lords, has the Prime Minister had any discussions with the Government of the UAE about this matter since he took office, for instance during his visit to the Emirates in December?

The noble Lord is right that the Prime Minister visited the UAE in December. I am not clear whether this issue was raised, but I am clear that we will continue to do whatever we can to reinforce the UK-UAE relationship more generally. Separate to that, we are taking forward the legislation that he led on when the party opposite was in government, which I hope to bring before the House in the near future.

My Lords, when we were in opposition, we were very concerned about the ownership of national titles and newspapers, and we made that very clear. But another issue on which I would like to get the Minister’s view is journalists’ safety. There are continuing and widespread threats to journalists online and also physical threats, which were apparent in last year’s riots. Does my noble friend the Minister share my concerns—and those of other noble Lords, I am sure—about the safety of journalists? What more can we as a Government do to make sure that this part of the freedom of the press is fully protected?

My noble friend makes a really valid point. Yesterday we spoke about Gaza and the horrendous number of journalists and media workers who have died in the course of that conflict. My noble friend referred to the riots in the wake of the attack in Southport. Even in this country, the harassment of journalists reporting generally, but specifically reporting on those public order events, is completely unacceptable and incompatible with a healthy and functioning democracy. We need a situation in which journalists can operate without fear of abuse, threats or intimidation. The Government are committed to defending the role of a free media and the safety of journalists, and we continue to work on these important issues, including by delivering our national action plan for the safety of journalists, working with criminal justice, civil society and media partners.

My Lords, given that the Secretary of State is acting in a quasi-judicial capacity, which I quite understand, will the Minister or one of her colleagues perhaps endeavour to send a quasi-judicial message to the Secretary of State that she needs to get on with this and might want to involve the Competition and Markets Authority in bringing it to a conclusion?

The noble Lord has clearly been engaged in this issue for some time. One of the really valuable things that we have in your Lordships’ House is this Question Time, and I have no doubt that the very fact that I have been answering questions on this point today will raise it up the agenda. Be in no doubt that this is on the mind of the Secretary of State. She is not delaying, but it is really important that these complex issues are dealt with effectively, and I am confident that in the near future I will be able to report back to your Lordships’ House and hopefully bring forward some SIs.