Telegraph Media Group Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport
Lord Sikka
Main Page: Lord Sikka (Labour - Life peer)Department Debates - View all Lord Sikka's debates with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport
(1 day, 5 hours ago)
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Baroness Twycross (Lab)
The noble Lord makes a fair comment, and I will pass on his comments to the Secretary of State.
Lord Sikka (Lab)
My Lords, can the Minister explain some contradictions here? On the one hand, the Government are quite keen that a foreign Government should not own a UK newspaper, while being simultaneously content for foreign Governments, including dictatorships, to own UK water, energy, rail, ports, airports, oil, gas, hospitals, care homes, GP surgeries and more. Why this hypocrisy about foreign Governments that is just applicable to newspapers?
Baroness Twycross (Lab)
My noble friend is allowing me to explain why we want a pluralistic free press. It is fundamental to our democracy. I think that there is a difference between foreign investment in other parts of the UK economy, including utilities, and the free press that is a fundamental cornerstone of our democracy, and which we want to continue without foreign state interference.