Any bid for Royal Mail would face ‘normal’ security review, UK says

LONDON, May 17 (Reuters) – Any takeover bid for
Britain’s Royal Mail would be subject to “normal” national
security scrutiny but it would not be opposed in principle,
finance minister Jeremy Hunt said on Friday.

Royal Mail’s owner, International Distributions Services
, said on Wednesday it would recommend a 3.5 billion
pound approach from its biggest shareholder Daniel Kretinsky if
the Czech billionaire tables a formal offer.

“As a rule, we welcome international investment in British
companies,” Hunt said when asked about the approach.

“But we do always look at national security considerations
to make sure that in terms of our core infrastructure, there are
no risks to those going forward and any bid for Royal Mail will
go through that normal process.”

(Reporting by Sarah Young and Paul Sandle; Editing by Kate
Holton)