Any deal would seemingly face scrutiny from competitors regulators amid considerations about lowering the variety of UK cellular community operators from 4 to 3, alongside EE and O2.
It could even be reviewed beneath nationwide safety takeover legal guidelines on account of considerations about Three’s Hong Kong-based proprietor CK Hutchison.
Mr Purkis insisted that the deal can be good for shoppers and dismissed considerations about Three’s hyperlinks to mainland China.
He added: “CKH invested closely into the UK throughout various sectors and companies for various years. I feel they’ve been identified within the UK for a very long time and supplied important volumes of jobs and funding.
“I don’t wish to touch upon political points, however I feel that possession in the intervening time is robust and has by no means actually been referred to as into query.”
The finance chief additionally insisted there was a future for the Three model after the merger with Vodafone, however mentioned no settlement had been reached.
The feedback got here as Three reported a 3pc rise in income to £2.5bn in 2022 as its buyer base rose by 614,000 to greater than 10m.
Earnings rose 3pc to £612m, although margin will increase had been offset partially by increased prices linked to community funding and surging inflation.
