Rubbish Check
Daily Mail Money · 24 September 2026
source“UK rocked as value of foreign takeovers so far this year doubles to £148bn – the highest in five years”
R4/ 10
Selective
Rubbish Rating — 1 = base fact, 10 = pure rubbish
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In short
Rubbish Talk rates Daily Mail Money's claim that the UK was "rocked" by foreign takeovers doubling to £148bn a 4/10 because the £148bn figure and five-year high are accurate to LSEG data, but "doubles" rounds up a 97% rise and "rocked" is an unsupported emotive flourish layered on top of an otherwise straight dealmaking statistic.
The Verdict
Selective. The core number checks out against the London Stock Exchange Group data cited in the piece, but the headline stacks two small distortions on a real trend: "doubles" for a 97% increase, and "rocked" for a market that the article's own body describes only as facing analyst "fears," not shock. Strip those two words and the headline would sit closer to R2.
What actually happened
London Stock Exchange Group figures showed the value of announced deals where UK companies were takeover targets rose 75% to £184billion so far this year, with the "inbound" component, where overseas buyers acquired UK firms, up 97% to £148billion, the highest in five years. Big-ticket deals named in the article include Prologis's £13.5billion purchase of Segro and EQT's £10.6billion acquisition of Intertek.
Key facts
- Inbound (foreign-buyer) takeovers of UK firms: "The value of foreign take-overs of UK firms so far this year has doubled to £148billion, the highest in five years, according to stark figures." Actual rise cited later in the piece is 97%, not a literal doubling.
- All UK-target deals (inbound plus domestic): "the value of deals where UK companies were the target was up by 75 per cent to £184billion."
- Number of inbound deals fell even as value rose: "even as the total value of inbound deals soared, their number fell by 13 per cent to 1,030, implying the individual takeovers were getting bigger."
- US buyers dominate: "Just more than half were from the US, representing 403 deals worth a total of £75billion."
- Total UK-involved M&A (both directions): "Overall, announced deals with any UK involvement were up by 52 per cent to £316billion."
- UK firms buying abroad also rose, on fewer deals: "The value of deals in which British companies bought foreign firms climbed 22 per cent to £62billion, though again the number of deals fell 13 per cent to 931."
What to watch for
Watch whether the "hollowed out" narrative gets tested against valuation data next quarter: if FTSE valuations re-rate higher, the "bargain bin" framing used here loses its footing. Also watch deal count versus deal value: fewer, bigger takeovers is a different story than a broad-based buying spree, and future coverage should distinguish the two rather than repeating "doubled" headlines built on a single mega-deal quarter.
About this scoreThe R-Score is Rubbish Talk's editorial opinion on how far a headline's framing sits from what the underlying facts support. It is a judgement about presentation and emphasis, not an allegation that any outlet has acted dishonestly. Every figure we rely on is linked under Receipts so you can check it yourself.
