UK makes legal order to halt 'pre-emptive action' in Telegraph takeover

British media minister Lucy Frazer on Tuesday made a legal order to prevent pre-emptive action by Abu Dhabi-backed RedBird IMI in relation to its planned takeover of the Telegraph newspaper while a regulatory probe carries on.

The government order stated that ministers had reasons to suspect that the planned deal will "result in two or more enterprises ceasing to be distinct." The order comes days after RedBird IMI made last minute tweaks to the terms of the deal to ease concerns over possible interference into editorial matters, essentially resetting a regulatory process that was set in motion after a government intervention into the deal last November.