Latest news with #NadhimZahawi
BBC News
6 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Ministers tried to block publication of financial interests form
The Cabinet Office spent more than £30,000 trying to block the publication of a questionnaire used by ministers to declare their financial News first requested a copy of the document in January 2023 using Freedom of Information laws after the then Conservative Party chairman Nadhim Zahawi was sacked for breaching the ministerial Independent Adviser on Ministers' Interests said Zahawi had failed to declare that he was the subject of an ongoing investigation into his taxes when he was appointed chancellor in July was despite the ministerial declaration of interests form he was asked to complete including specific prompts on tax affairs and HM Revenue and Customs. investigations and Sunak's administration refused to release the document to the BBC saying ministers needed to have confidence that the process was in September 2023 the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) ruled it should be disclosed in the public interest. The Cabinet Office then appealed to the Information Rights Tribunal, which in February this year upheld the ICO's government's decision to pursue the case against its information watchdog cost the taxpayer a total of £32,251 in legal Whiffen, senior research officer with the campaigning charity Transparency International UK, said: "The publication of ministers' interests is a key accountability tool, allowing the public to identify how policy decisions may be influenced by private interests. "Transparency shouldn't end with published declarations. Government should embrace transparency as the default, not fight expensive legal battles to maintain unnecessary secrecy."The form, which you can read here, reveals that when Nadhim Zahawi was appointed chancellor in July 2022, he was asked: "Are your tax affairs up to date?" and "Are you, or have you ever been in despite with, or under investigation by, HM Revenue and Customs?".Zahawi, along with other ministers, was also asked if any of his financial arrangements could be "perceived" as tax avoidance former chancellor is since understood to have paid a substantial penalty to HMRC and has said his tax error was "careless and not deliberate".Some of the other questions included on the form are a reminder of controversies that have plagued previous a section in which ministers are asked to declare what property they own, the form reminds them: "Your main second home for parliamentary purposes should be the same for all other purposes, including capital gains and council tax".During the expenses scandal, which emerged in 2009, some MPs were revealed to have changed what they declared as their primary residence when selling property to avoid paying version of the form which the BBC has seen dates back to July 2022 when the Conservative Party were still in power. The Cabinet Office has subsequently refused a separate BBC News request to see the form currently in use.A government spokesperson said: "The government is fully committed to transparency. "We proactively publish more information outside the Freedom of Information Act than ever before, amounting to thousands of documents each year."
Telegraph
31-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Former cabinet minister Zahawi pulls out of ‘British bid' for The Telegraph
The former Conservative cabinet minister Nadhim Zahawi has pulled out of the 'British bid' for The Telegraph led by the publisher Dovid Efune. The decision on Saturday leaves Mr Efune with an even steeper challenge as he attempts to gatecrash the planned takeover by the US private equity firm RedBird Capital. Mr Zahawi, his family and friends accounted for £60m of the £170m of equity it is understood had been committed to the bid. Even before losing the support, the consortium may have needed to raise a further £200m from shareholders to deliver the £550m bid he made alongside Mr Zahawi and the hedge fund manager Jeremy Hosking. Mr Efune has planned to complete the offer with borrowing against The Telegraph's profits. The approach has been rejected by IMI, the United Arab Emirates state media company. It is selling The Telegraph after its own attempt to take control was blocked last year following an outcry over press freedom. That bid was made by a joint venture, RedBird IMI, in which RedBird was the junior partner having provided 25pc of the funding. Now the US private equity firm led by its founder Gerry Cardinale is in line to become the controlling shareholder in The Telegraph in a £500m deal. He has signalled ambitious growth and investment plans to deliver a 'global counterpunch to The New York Times' from the centre-Right of the political spectrum. Mr Cardinale is also in talks with at least three potential British minority co-investors, who include the owner of The Daily Mail, Lord Rothermere. After a proposed easing of the outright ban on foreign state shareholdings in newspapers, IMI is expected to retain a passive stake of up to 15pc. With longstanding business and political links to the UAE, it is understood that Mr Zahawi pulled out after becoming concerned at Mr Efune's handling of the bid. In recent days the publisher of the New York Sun website has sought to cast his approach as more British than RedBird's and sought to cast doubt on its sources of funding and ability to run The Telegraph successfully. IMI has come out in public support of Mr Cardinale's bid, however, and it has been unclear how Mr Efune expects to disrupt their agreement in principle. Mr Cardinale has said none of RedBird's funding for the deal is drawn from sovereign wealth. Mr Zahawi, who was Covid vaccines minister and briefly Chancellor, has played a significant role in the two-year saga over the ownership of The Telegraph. A friend of both the Barclay family, the previous owners, and senior figures in the UAE, he was part of setting up a complex debt repayment deal that was intended to deliver the company into the hands of RedBird IMI. It included a £600m linked to the Barclay family's online shopping business Very, which saw Mr Zahawi become chairman. Despite the failure of RedBird IMI's takeover of The Telegraph, he has persistently sought a role in its future. In recent months he has sought to put together a new bid that would help the UAE recoup its outlay. It is understood Mr Cardinale does not intend to involve Mr Zahawi. Mr Efune was unavailable for comment. In his most recent statements on the bid he said was confident he would be able to announce more investors soon. Mr Zahawi declined to comment.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Former cabinet minister Zahawi pulls out of ‘British bid' for The Telegraph
The former Conservative cabinet minister Nadhim Zahawi has pulled out of the 'British bid' for The Telegraph led by the publisher Dovid Efune. The decision on Saturday leaves Mr Efune with an even steeper challenge as he attempts to gatecrash the planned takeover by the US private equity firm RedBird Capital. Mr Zahawi, his family and friends accounted for £60m of the £170m of equity it is understood had been committed to the bid. Even before losing the support, the consortium may have needed to raise a further £200m from shareholders to deliver the £550m bid he made alongside Mr Zahawi and the hedge fund manager Jeremy Hosking. Mr Efune has planned to complete the offer with borrowing against The Telegraph's profits. The approach has been rejected by IMI, the United Arab Emirates state media company. It is selling The Telegraph after its own attempt to take control was blocked last year following an outcry over press freedom. That bid was made by a joint venture, RedBird IMI, in which RedBird was the junior partner having provided 25pc of the funding. Now the US private equity firm led by its founder Gerry Cardinale is in line to become the controlling shareholder in The Telegraph in a £500m deal. He has signalled ambitious growth and investment plans to deliver a 'global counterpunch to The New York Times' from the centre-Right of the political spectrum. Mr Cardinale is also in talks with at least three potential British minority co-investors, who include the owner of The Daily Mail, Lord Rothermere. After a proposed easing of the outright ban on foreign state shareholdings in newspapers, IMI is expected to retain a passive stake of up to 15pc. With longstanding business and political links to the UAE, it is understood that Mr Zahawi pulled out after becoming concerned at Mr Efune's handling of the bid. In recent days the publisher of the New York Sun website has sought to cast his approach as more British than RedBird's and sought to cast doubt on its sources of funding and ability to run The Telegraph successfully. IMI has come out in public support of Mr Cardinale's bid, however, and it has been unclear how Mr Efune expects to disrupt their agreement in principle. Mr Cardinale has said none of RedBird's funding for the deal is drawn from sovereign wealth. Mr Zahawi, who was Covid vaccines minister and briefly Chancellor, has played a significant role in the two-year saga over the ownership of The Telegraph. A friend of both the Barclay family, the previous owners, and senior figures in the UAE, he was part of setting up a complex debt repayment deal that was intended to deliver the company into the hands of RedBird IMI. It included a £600m linked to the Barclay family's online shopping business Very, which saw Mr Zahawi become chairman. Despite the failure of RedBird IMI's takeover of The Telegraph, he has persistently sought a role in its future. In recent months he has sought to put together a new bid that would help the UAE recoup its outlay. It is understood Mr Cardinale does not intend to involve Mr Zahawi. Mr Efune was unavailable for comment. In his most recent statements on the bid he said was confident he would be able to announce more investors soon. Mr Zahawi declined to comment. Errore nel recupero dei dati Effettua l'accesso per consultare il tuo portafoglio Errore nel recupero dei dati Errore nel recupero dei dati Errore nel recupero dei dati Errore nel recupero dei dati
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘British bidder' for Telegraph vows to fight on
The leader of a bid to disrupt the £500m sale of The Telegraph to a consortium led by RedBird Capital Partners has vowed to fight 'to the very end'. Dovid Efune, the publisher of The New York Sun website, made an appearance on Sky News on Sunday to insist that his 'British bid for The Telegraph is alive and well, and not going anywhere'. Mr Efune has secured financial backing from the hedge fund manager Jeremy Hosking and Nadhim Zahawi, the former cabinet minister. They are attempting to contrast their Britishness with RedBird, an American private equity firm which is seeking to acquire The Telegraph alongside British minority investors. Mr Efune faces a steep challenge. On Friday RedBird announced an agreement in principle to take majority ownership of The Telegraph from IMI, the UAE's media investment arm. The British-born publisher said: 'What's been announced is an agreement in principle. And if the history of The Telegraph's ownership saga teaches us anything, it's that the ownership of The Telegraph and, frankly, any other crown jewel of British public life, will not be determined by means of a press release. 'The British public will yet have their say via their elected representatives, The Telegraph's staff and The Telegraph's readers will have their say, as will the rest of the British press.' RedBird IMI, a joint venture between RedBird and the UAE, majority funded by the Gulf state, was blocked from taking full control of The Telegraph last year following an outcry over press freedom. Now, RedBird's founder Gerry Cardinale is working to make RedBird the controlling shareholder, with IMI expected to retain a passive stake of up to 15pc. Mr Efune said: 'There are quite a lot of questions surrounding RedBird themselves, obviously – where does their capital come from?' Mr Cardinale, who also controls AC Milan and is set to become a major shareholder in the Hollywood studio Paramount, has said none of the money that RedBird will use to acquire The Telegraph will be drawn from sovereign sources. Mr Efune added: 'I suspect that because of all of these questions that surround it, there will need to be a public interest intervention, likely an in-depth investigation, which means the saga of The Telegraph could take another year to resolve.' Enders Analysis, a media industry research firm, said last week that Mr Cardinale's status as a newcomer to news publishing meant the regulatory process could be smooth and complete by September. The potential involvement of Lord Rothermere, the owner of The Daily Mail, as a minority shareholder alongside RedBird could complicate matters. But it is unclear how in practice Mr Efune hopes to disrupt the sale. IMI has publicly endorsed RedBird's planned takeover of The Telegraph, saying it will 'secure its future and enable it to thrive for years to come'. Mr Efune, who prior to acquiring the defunct New York Sun and reviving it as a subscription website was the publisher of Algemeiner, a Jewish community newspaper, has shown great persistence in his pursuit of The Telegraph, however. He emerged as the winner of an auction back in early October last year, but has struggled since to raise the necessary funds. Even now, by his own account Mr Efune's consortium has only 'the bulk' of the capital, although he has said he remains in talks with potential backers. His 11th-hour appeal for more time has come wrapped in the Union flag. He said: 'At the end of the day, I expect that most Britons would want to see The Telegraph in British hands should there be a choice – and there is a choice, a clear choice, and we are 100pc committed to seeing it through.' The approach won rhetorical support this weekend from Lord Ashcroft, the Conservative donor and publisher. In a post on X he said Mr Efune was 'seeking British investors for an alternative to foreign ownership … I wish him well'. Mr Efune has not said whether he envisages the UAE retaining a stake and has not always been so focused on securing British finance. He initially sought to raise funding from American hedge funds. They all declined to invest in his proposed deal after he was named preferred bidder. In November it was reported that Sir Mohamed Mansour, the Egyptian-born billionaire and former Conservative party treasurer, was in advanced discussions to bankroll the bid. A former minister under the dictatorship of Hosni Mubarak, Sir Mohamed ruled out participating, following questions from The Telegraph. They covered topics including the regulatory scrutiny his political past and business interest might face. Mr Efune then turned to Leon Black, the billionaire former boss of the Wall Street giant Apollo Global Management. Mr Black pulled out of detailed discussions to back the bid after The Telegraph asked questions about potential regulatory scrutiny of his regrettable relationship with the paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, and legal problems related to it. These incidents appear to have frustrated Mr Efune, who on Friday complained that the 'turbulent undertaking' of raising finance had faced 'unwanted interference'. One possible tactic for Mr Efune's consortium is a legal challenge against the Government's handling of The Telegraph if and when it decides to approve the RedBird takeover. Mr Hosking is said by those who have worked directly with him to have an unusually strong appetite for litigation. Sign in to access your portfolio
Telegraph
25-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
‘British bidder' for Telegraph vows to fight on
The leader of a bid to disrupt the £500m sale of The Telegraph to a consortium led by RedBird Capital Partners has vowed to fight 'to the very end'. Dovid Efune, the publisher of The New York Sun website, made an appearance on Sky News on Sunday to insist that his 'British bid for The Telegraph is alive and well, and not going anywhere'. Mr Efune has secured financial backing from the hedge fund manager Jeremy Hosking and Nadhim Zahawi, the former cabinet minister. They are attempting to contrast their Britishness with RedBird, an American private equity firm which is seeking to acquire The Telegraph alongside British minority investors. Mr Efune faces a steep challenge. On Friday RedBird announced an agreement in principle to take majority ownership of The Telegraph from IMI, the UAE's media investment arm. The British-born publisher said: 'What's been announced is an agreement in principle. And if the history of The Telegraph's ownership saga teaches us anything, it's that the ownership of The Telegraph and, frankly, any other crown jewel of British public life, will not be determined by means of a press release. 'The British public will yet have their say via their elected representatives, The Telegraph's staff and The Telegraph's readers will have their say, as will the rest of the British press.' RedBird IMI, a joint venture between RedBird and the UAE, majority funded by the Gulf state, was blocked from taking full control of The Telegraph last year following an outcry over press freedom. Now, RedBird's founder Gerry Cardinale is working to make RedBird the controlling shareholder, with IMI expected to retain a passive stake of up to 15pc. Mr Efune said: 'There are quite a lot of questions surrounding RedBird themselves, obviously – where does their capital come from?' Mr Cardinale, who also controls AC Milan and is set to become a major shareholder in the Hollywood studio Paramount, has said none of the money that RedBird will use to acquire The Telegraph will be drawn from sovereign sources. Mr Efune added: 'I suspect that because of all of these questions that surround it, there will need to be a public interest intervention, likely an in-depth investigation, which means the saga of The Telegraph could take another year to resolve.' Enders Analysis, a media industry research firm, said last week that Mr Cardinale's status as a newcomer to news publishing meant the regulatory process could be smooth and complete by September. The potential involvement of Lord Rothermere, the owner of The Daily Mail, as a minority shareholder alongside RedBird could complicate matters. But it is unclear how in practice Mr Efune hopes to disrupt the sale. IMI has publicly endorsed RedBird's planned takeover of The Telegraph, saying it will 'secure its future and enable it to thrive for years to come'. Mr Efune, who prior to acquiring the defunct New York Sun and reviving it as a subscription website was the publisher of Algemeiner, a Jewish community newspaper, has shown great persistence in his pursuit of The Telegraph, however. He emerged as the winner of an auction back in early October last year, but has struggled since to raise the necessary funds. Even now, by his own account Mr Efune's consortium has only 'the bulk' of the capital, although he has said he remains in talks with potential backers. His 11th-hour appeal for more time has come wrapped in the Union flag. He said: 'At the end of the day, I expect that most Britons would want to see The Telegraph in British hands should there be a choice – and there is a choice, a clear choice, and we are 100pc committed to seeing it through.' The approach won rhetorical support this weekend from Lord Ashcroft, the Conservative donor and publisher. In a post on X he said Mr Efune was 'seeking British investors for an alternative to foreign ownership … I wish him well'. Mr Efune has not said whether he envisages the UAE retaining a stake and has not always been so focused on securing British finance. He initially sought to raise funding from American hedge funds. They all declined to invest in his proposed deal after he was named preferred bidder. In November it was reported that Sir Mohamed Mansour, the Egyptian-born billionaire and former Conservative party treasurer, was in advanced discussions to bankroll the bid. A former minister under the dictatorship of Hosni Mubarak, Sir Mohamed ruled out participating, following questions from The Telegraph. They covered topics including the regulatory scrutiny his political past and business interest might face. Mr Efune then turned to Leon Black, the billionaire former boss of the Wall Street giant Apollo Global Management. Mr Black pulled out of detailed discussions to back the bid after The Telegraph asked questions about potential regulatory scrutiny of his regrettable relationship with the paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, and legal problems related to it. These incidents appear to have frustrated Mr Efune, who on Friday complained that the 'turbulent undertaking' of raising finance had faced 'unwanted interference'. One possible tactic for Mr Efune's consortium is a legal challenge against the Government's handling of The Telegraph if and when it decides to approve the RedBird takeover. Mr Hosking is said by those who have worked directly with him to have an unusually strong appetite for litigation.
