LONDON (AP) — The owner of Britain’s Guardian newspaper confirmed Wednesday that it has sold The Observer, the world’s oldest Sunday newspaper, to Tortoise Media for an undisclosed fee.
The Scott Trust, which owns the Guardian Media Group, said in a statement that Tortoise Media is purchasing The Observer through a combination of cash and shares.
The Observer, which was founded in 1791 and became part of the Guardian Media Group in 1993, is a bastion of liberal values in Britain’s media landscape. Tortoise has promised readers that it will honor the paper's historic values.
Tortoise was launched in 2019 by James Harding, a former editor of the London Times and director of news at the BBC, and the former U.S. ambassador to London, Matthew Barzun.
“The Observer has a historic place in the world of journalism and a special place in the heart of its readers,” said Harding. “We’re excited to put all we have into making sure its values, interests and passions reach even more people in the many years to come.”
As part of the deal, Tortoise has agreed a five-year commercial agreement with GMG, which will see it pay for both print and distribution services, as well as marketing through the Guardian.
The Scott Trust will also take a 9% stake in Tortoise Media and commit 5 million pounds ($6.3 million) into Tortoise Media as part of the 25 million-pound investment, much of which will be focused on establishing The Observer’s own digital identity — currently its online presence is very much secondary to that of the Guardian's.
“This deal secures fresh investment and ideas for the Observer that will take the title to new audiences and enhance the role liberal journalism plays in our society," said Ole Jacob Sunde, chair of the Scott Trust.
Tortoise said that the first Observer edition under its ownership is expected to be published in the spring.
It was also announced that Lucy Rock has been appointed the print editor of the Observer, the first woman to oversee the newspaper in 100 years. She will work alongside a digital editor, as the Observer builds its own online brand. Rock will report to Harding, who will be editor-in-chief.
The proposed sale has been opposed by journalists across the Guardian Media Group, culminating in a 48-hour strike earlier this month.
Tortoise has committed to meet all the key employment terms for any members of staff, as well as freelancers and contributors, who wish to continue to work on The Observer.
Harding said he respected that “people have had different views on the best way forward” for the Observer.
FILE - A view of the offices of the Guardian and its sister paper, The Observer, on Monday night, Aug. 19, 2013. (AP Photo/Raphael Satter, File)
LONDON (AP) — A British court ruled Wednesday that police can seize more than 2.6 million pounds ($3.3 million) to cover years of unpaid taxes from influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan.
The Devon and Cornwall Police force went to court to claim the money, held in seven frozen bank accounts, from the Tates and a woman identified only as J.
At Westminster Magistrates’ Court, Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring ruled that financial transactions by the brothers, including transferring almost $12 million into an account in the name of J, were a “straightforward cheat” of the tax authorities.
A lawyer for the force said that the Tates were “serial” tax evaders who failed to pay any tax on 21 million pounds in revenue from their online businesses, including War Room, Hustlers’ University, Cobra Tate and OnlyFans, between 2014 and 2022.
Andrew Tate, 38, accused the government of “outright theft” for freezing his accounts and seizing “everything they could.”
“This is not justice; it’s a coordinated attack on anyone who dares to challenge the system," Tate said in a statement. “This raises serious questions about the lengths authorities will go to silence dissent.”
At a hearing in July, attorney Sarah Clarke quoted from a video posted online by Andrew Tate, in which he said: “When I lived in England I refused to pay tax.”
She said J — who can't be named because of a court order — wasn't involved with the brothers' businesses.
A lawyer for the brothers, Martin Evans, argued that the bank transfers were “entirely orthodox” for people who run online businesses. He said the siblings spent money on a number of “exotic motor cars,” but did nothing illegal.
The proceedings are civil, which carries a lower standard of proof than criminal cases. Goldspring had to decide on the balance of probabilities whether the Tates had evaded tax.
Court documents show an estimated total of 2,683,345.88 pounds (about $3.4 million) is held in the seven accounts police can now seize.
Andrew Tate is a former kickboxer and dual British-U.S. citizen who has amassed more than 10 million followers on X. He has been banned from TikTok, YouTube and Facebook after the platforms accused him of posting hate speech and misogynistic comments.
He and Tristan Tate, 36, face criminal allegations in Romania, including human trafficking and forming a criminal gang to exploit women. They are set to be extradited to the U.K. once those proceedings are over to face further allegations of rape and human trafficking.
The Tates deny all the allegations.
Associated Press writers Brian Melley in London and Stephen McGrath in Warwick, England contributed to this story.
FILE - Andrew Tate, left, and his brother Tristan, right, wait at the Court of Appeals building in Bucharest, Romania, on Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)
Andrew Tate, left, listens to his brother Tristan, right, at the Court of Appeals building in Bucharest, Romania, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
