The UK government will oppose any move by billionaire Sunil Bharti Mittal to raise his stake in British telecom giant BT, citing the need to keep critical national infrastructure under sovereign control, the Financial Times reported.
The government's position would effectively cap Mittal's influence over BT, whose broadband arm Openreach supplies fibre connectivity to more than 22 million homes across Britain.
What Triggered the Warning
News agency Reuters had earlier reported that Bharti Enterprises was exploring raising its stake in BT to just below the threshold that would require a full takeover offer for the company. A Bharti spokesman subsequently told the agency that the company is satisfied with its current 24.95% shareholding and "currently has no plans to increase its stake."
1 May 2026
Get the latest issue of Outlook Business
However, any move by Bharti to push its holding above 25% would automatically trigger a formal review under the UK's National Security and Investment Act, a quasi-judicial process designed to scrutinise foreign ownership of sensitive assets.
"It's not to do with Bharti or India specifically, it's a matter of keeping critical national infrastructure in sovereign UK control for obvious reasons. Resilience and sovereign capability have a different threshold in today's world than for generations," UK government official told Financial Times.
The FT report added that the UK government wants to make its position known to overseas investors ahead of any future investment moves, to avoid diplomatic awkwardness down the line.
How Bharti Got Here
Bharti first entered BT in 2024 by acquiring a 24.5% stake from Altice founder Patrick Drahi, becoming one of BT's key strategic investors. The UK government approved the investment at the end of that year following a national security review. As part of the arrangement, BT set up a dedicated national security committee to oversee work with implications for UK national security.
Since then, Mittal, founder and chairman of Bharti Enterprises, and Gopal Vittal, vice-chairman and managing director of Bharti Airtel, have joined BT's board as non-independent non-executive directors. The stake is held through Bharti Televentures. According to LSEG data, BT's shares have reportedly risen 55% since Bharti's entry.
Mittal's Wider UK Ties
Mittal has maintained a long-standing relationship with the UK. He partnered with the British government in 2020 to take control of failed space start-up OneWeb. His Airtel Africa group is also exploring listing its mobile money business in London, after the Iran conflict disrupted earlier plans to float in the Middle East.
Since joining as a BT shareholder, Mittal has maintained a close working relationship with BT chief executive Allison Kirkby, holding several strategy meetings with her.
At the time of the original acquisition, Bharti had made clear it had no intention of bidding for all of BT, Britain's largest broadband and mobile operator.
