A questionable move to work for the UAE
As readers may be aware, the future ownership of this newspaper is in a state of flux while the Government considers a possible sale to an investment vehicle backed by funds from the UAE. The potential purchase is currently subject to a Public Interest Intervention Notice, or PIIN, which has paused the process pending a report to the Government from the media regulator Ofcom and, separately, from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
This stage of the process was due to be completed last month. But it was forestalled by a change in the governance structure of the would-be buyer Redbird IMI, most of whose funding derives from Abu Dhabi. This is a quasi-judicial procedure being overseen by the Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer on behalf of the Government. It is essential that the official side is scrupulous in its impartiality and is seen to be so.
What, then, are we to make of the announcement that Alex Aiken, the head of government communications, is leaving Whitehall to become a media adviser to the UAE? He was apparently offered this job some time ago yet will continue in the Civil Service until April, even as MPS of all parties are urging ministers to block any deal.
The current inquiries into The Telegraph’s sale are considering public interest matters, including the commitment to freedom of expression, and issues surrounding jurisdiction and competition. Reports are due to be submitted to Ms Frazer on March 11, at which point she could order a fuller inquiry by the CMA.
Some MPS have been pressing for a national security inquiry to be included in the process, which makes Mr Aiken’s dalliance with the UAE even more open to question. He will have needed Cabinet Office clearance covering officials moving into the private sector. It does seem extraordinary that such a senior Whitehall figure is able to go off to work for a government which, in December, gave a full state welcome to Vladimir Putin.
Was the Telegraph sale issue raised as a potential obstacle to his appointment or not? We are assured that Mr Aiken – whose wife, Nickie, is a Conservative MP standing down at the next election – was not involved in negotiations; but was he aware of information? Were any steps taken to protect both UK national security interests and the Telegraph sale process from any contacts? We do not suggest impropriety but this is hardly a satisfactory state of affairs.