Tory MPs are used to poring over the pages of the Telegraph titles for evidence of whose political fortunes are up or down in the party’s papers of choice. Now, however, senior Conservatives are more worried about the increasingly fraught battle for the publications’ ownership than with what appears on their pages.
There is growing backbench unease over an Abu Dhabi-backed bid that appears to be the leading contender to seize the newspapers and the weekly Spectator.
And this weekend the grand figure of Lord (Charles) Moore entered the fray. In an urgent plea issued on the radio and in an opinion piece in the Daily Telegraph itself, Moore, who has edited all three of the British titles now on sale, argued that a media purchase of such significance by a Gulf state would be dangerous.
“The Telegraph and the Spectator are great British institutions. They should not be controlled by a foreign power,” he wrote. Moore added that the deal would in effect give control to Abu Dhabi’s ruling family, which is very different from the simple sale of a commercial asset to an individual owner.
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But in the run-up to Thursday’s Cop28 climate change summit in Dubai – like Abu Dhabi, one of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – Rishi Sunak’s government clearly sees greater financial links with the UAE as an aim, rather than a risk. So tomorrow the prime minister is to host financiers from Abu Dhabi for a global investment summit at Hampton Court Palace. » | Vanessa Thorpe and Michael Savage | Sunday, November 26, 2023
If this sale goes ahead, it will be a case of TWATS AT THE TOP! Only a fool would sell off our media to the anyone in the Islamic world! If this sale goes ahead, the Islamisation of the United Kingdom will be turbo-charged! Are these people who are contemplating this ridiulous and dangerous sale right in the head? One of the first ways of gaining control of the narrative of a nation is by gaining control of its media. This is elementary. Doesn't Rishi Sunak understand this basic fact? Is the acceleration of the Islamisation of the UK going to be Sunak's legacy? The man is a fool! He worries about and wants to put a stop to young people being able to buy a fag, but he doesn't care about the country he is supposed to love so much being Islamised!
If this sale goes ahead, this country will have reached the point of no return. As a nation, we will have crossed the Rubicon! UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD THIS SALE GO AHEAD. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan will be the buyer and that will be the beginning of the end of press freedom in this country. The beginning of the end of press freedom and the beginnning of the Islamisation of this country in earnest. Gay rights will become a thing of the past. Muhammad will become this nation's prophet and Jesus will be relegated to prophethood. Allah will become our god. Sunak is already determined to take people's right to smoke away. If this sale goes ahead, people's right to drink alcohol and eat pork will be next on the list to be taken away!
This country, post-Brexit, has taken leave of its senses! It is losing its mind! Jesus Christ Almighty! Help! – © Mark Alexander