, Columnist
The Twitter Mess Would Never Happen in the UK
Britain’s takeover regime isn’t kind to private buyers. But its protections help prevent drawn-out sagas like Elon Musk’s bid for the social media firm.
Twitter headquarters in San Francisco.
Photographer: David Paul Morris/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
The UK takeover regime isn’t kind to private equity buyers. It got even tougher after Kraft Foods Inc.’s bitter acquisition of rival confectioner Cadbury in 2010. But are its rules too restrictive?
If the leveraged finance market bounces back, UK stocks should be a prime hunting ground for the private equity industry. Yet local M&A rules are often seen as a brake.