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Bankers wary of ‘political noise’ as Kraft abandons Unilever

Advisers expect foreign takeovers of UK companies to come under greater scrutiny

Casting a shadow: Bankers expect foreign takeovers like Kraft's now-defunct bid for Marmite maker Unilever to face increasing scrutiny
Casting a shadow: Bankers expect foreign takeovers like Kraft's now-defunct bid for Marmite maker Unilever to face increasing scrutiny Photo: Getty Images

City dealmakers expect greater scrutiny of foreign takeovers in the UK, with transactions such as Kraft Heinz’s now-scrapped $143 billion Unilever tie-up likely to find themselves in the spotlight.

Kraft Heinz dropped plans to bid for London-based Unilever over the weekend; it could have been one of the largest M&A deals of all time. A report in the FT said UK Prime Minister Theresa May had ordered an examination of the potential deal, and that both companies had met with the UK government over the weekend.

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