Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to protect (a) jobs and (b) operations at GKN Telford, in respect of Melrose Plc’s proposed takeover of that company.

While this is a commercial matter for the companies involved, Government is closely monitoring the situation. My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has spoken on an impartial basis to both companies.

Takeovers of publicly listed companies in the UK must abide by the Takeover Code, which sets out an orderly framework for how takeovers must be conducted, and earlier this month new changes to the Code were introduced that will give companies subject to a bid more time to prepare their response.

Ministers can only intervene in mergers on public interest grounds, covering national security, financial stability or media plurality.