The Telegraph (UK newspaper)

The paper was launched on 29 June 1855 as The Daily Telegraph and Courier by Colonel Arthur Burroughes Sleigh, initially as a vehicle for his feud with the Duke of Cambridge. Its first issue said it was extending to “this country the benefit of a cheap and good Daily Press.”⁠[1]

About six weeks after the launch the printer Joseph Moses Levy began supplying capital. On 17 September 1855 the paper became the country’s first penny newspaper. In February 1857 Sleigh was bought out for £2,000, leaving Levy in sole control.⁠[1]

On 23 December 1927 it was announced that the Berrys, in partnership with Lord Iliffe, would buy the paper, which they did the following month for £1.2 million. In December 1930 its price was halved from 2d to one penny. In 1937 William Berry bought out his partners and took sole control, and on 1 October 1937 the paper was formally renamed The Daily Telegraph and Morning Post.⁠[1]

After Viscount Camrose died in 1954, his second son, Michael Berry, became editor-in-chief.⁠[1]

A Sunday title was announced in July 1960, and The Sunday Telegraph was launched as a standalone brand on 5 February 1961.⁠[1]

The Daily Telegraph’s circulation rose to over 1.4 million in 1967 and later increased again to over 1.5 million.⁠[1]

At the end of 1985 Conrad Black’s Hollinger acquired the company, and Michael Berry, by then Lord Hartwell, became chairman of the reconstructed board. Editor Bill Deedes stepped down in March 1986 after 11 years and was succeeded by Max Hastings. The paper left Fleet Street in 1987, and in September 1987 Lord Hartwell retired as chairman and editor-in-chief.⁠[1]

The paper moved to Canary Wharf in 1992 and in November 1994 launched an electronic edition online, becoming the first British newspaper to do so.⁠[1]

After questions arose over Conrad Black’s financial conduct at Hollinger, he was dismissed and the Telegraph titles were put up for sale. In June 2004 Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay bought the titles for £665 million, becoming the paper’s fifth set of proprietors; the paper later moved to Victoria.⁠[1]

In 2009 the paper published the “Expenses Files,” exposing the expense claims of members of Parliament.⁠[1]

Lloyds Banking Group took control of the paper after the Barclay family’s debts went unpaid. On 22 November 2023 the Department for Culture, Media and Sport wrote to Lloyds, the Barclay family and RedBirdRedBird Capital PartnersRedBird Capital Partners is a New York private investment firm founded by Gerry Cardinale in 2014. It focuses on sports, media and entertainment, and financial services.Open the full entry IMI that the Culture Secretary was “minded to” issue a public interest intervention notice (PIIN) concerning the family’s intended loan repayment to Lloyds through Bank of Scotland and RedBird IMI’s planned acquisition of Telegraph Media Group on grounds including the accurate presentation of news, free expression of opinion and plurality of media ownership.⁠[2][3]

On 30 November 2023 the then Culture Secretary, Lucy Frazer, issued a public interest intervention notice on RedBird IMI’s anticipated acquisition of Telegraph Media Group and asked the Competition and Markets Authority and Ofcom to report by 26 January 2024.⁠[4]

RedBird IMI, which was backed by Abu Dhabi, was later blocked by the then Conservative government over concerns about a foreign state-backed fund controlling the paper; it was never allowed to convert its Lloyds debt into equity and was forced to sell. The Spectator, also part of the deal, was sold to Paul Marshall’s OQS Ventures for £100 million, and exclusive talks with Dovid Efune, publisher of the New York Sun, collapsed.⁠[5][2]

RedBird IMI then reached an agreement of about £500 million with Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT), whose offer was funded by a NatWest loan. On 12 February 2026 the Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy, issued a public interest intervention notice on DMGT’s anticipated acquisition of Telegraph Media Group Holdings; on 19 February an order barred the parties from transferring control, integrating the businesses or moving key staff during the review, while consent was given for RB Investco Limited to sell its call option over Telegraph Media Group Holdings shares to DMGT.⁠[5][2][6]

On 6 March 2026 Axel Springer agreed with RedBird IMI to buy Telegraph Media Group for £575 million, displacing DMGT’s deal, which had been close to completion. On 14 April Lisa Nandy said she was “not minded to intervene,” and the UK government approved the deal.⁠[2][5]

On 30 June 2026, having received all regulatory approvals in the UK, Ireland and Austria, Axel Springer completed the acquisition. Axel Springer said it would accelerate the group’s digital transformation and expand in the US while preserving its editorial independence; at completion Chris Evans was editor-in-chief of The Telegraph and Anna Jones was chief executive of Telegraph Media Group.⁠[7]

The Telegraph: Official website: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/ (opens in a new window).⁠[7]

Telegraph Media Group: Official website: https://telegraphmediagroup.com/ (opens in a new window).⁠[7]