Britain blocked the hostile takeover of Plessey Co.

Trade and Industry Secretary Paul Channon said he had accepted the majority recommendation of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission, which had ruled that the $1.77-billion takeover of Plessey by General Electric Co. would hurt the public interest by reducing competition. General Electric Co. is not related to the similarly named American company. The takeover battle, which began in December, was sparked by System X, the high-technology digital telephone exchange that the two companies were developing jointly.