Shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna has said privatisation of the Royal Mail undervalues the company. We answer five questions on Umunna’s Royal Mail comments.
By how much does the Shadow Secretary think Royal Mail is being undervalued by?
Umunna said on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme he thinks the privatisation of the Royal Mail undervalues the company by as much as £1bn, with City investors and hedge funds being the biggest beneficiaries of the sale.
He added that the sale is “short changing” tax payers.
When is the Royal Mail being sold?
Shares of Royal Mail will be sold to the public from 15 October. Up to 62 per cent of the business will be sold, with the rest remaining state-owned. A 10 per cent stake has been reserved for Royal Mail employees.
A £750 minimum purchase stake is required by members of the public and a £500 minimum purchase stake by employees.
What else has Ununna said?
He believes the £750 minimum purchase stake is too steep for the public.
“That is a lot of money for most people – it is out of reach for many. Most of the people benefiting from this will be the speculators and the hedge funds,” he told Radio 4.
Labour has said they will not renationalise the Royal Mail if the party got in power at the next election.
What is the current value of the Royal Mail shares?
Initially the government priced the shares at 260-330p, but it is thought they will be sold between 300-330p.
On Friday it was reported that demand for shares is outstripping supply.
What has the government said in regards to the Shadow Business Secretary’s comments?
The Department for Business said: “This is a commercial transaction and government is following normal commercial practice in setting and publicising the share price and delivering value for the taxpayer. The value of Royal Mail will depend on a number of factors, notably the company’s on-going financial performance, its future prospects and the level of investor interest.”
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