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

LONDON (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.”