Yellow Press Peril

Although immigrant taxpayers are notoriously unwelcome in our precious NHS and other public services, there has never been much difficulty with an occasional utility or media outlet being taken over by corporate tax-dodgers. Team Starmer has relaxed the restrictions on foreign governments owning British newspapers; but with the everlasting sale of the Maily Toryguff matters have finally gone too far, as the only buyer willing to pay the asking price has been forced to withdraw from the bidding process in the face of calls for investigation into its links with certain beastly foreigns. Part-ownership by a sheikh in Abu Dhabi and a Ukrainian-born oligarch may be just about acceptable; but the consortium in question also consorts with the Heathen Chinee, whose slant on free speech and human rights the denizens of the Toryguff rah-and-blah room clearly found intolerably lax and liberal.