Legal threat to Cobham deal

THE founding family of Cobham may demand that a judge reviews the £4bn takeover of the British defence firm if it is waved through by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) tomorrow.

Lady Cobham, whose father-in-law founded the group, has been a vociferous opponent of the sale to US private equity firm Advent International.

The family, which has a 1.5pc stake, had pushed the Government to refer the deal to the CMA after raising concerns that it posed ‘grave risks’ to national security and understated Cobham’s importance to the UK defence industry.

They said they would consider a judicial review if the CMA backs the deal when it publishes its findings.

A legal move could push a final ruling past an expected December general election, raising the prospect of the deal being blocked by a Labour government.