Vodafone is to take full control of the UK’s biggest mobile operator in a £4.3bn buyout deal with the Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison. The billionaire Li Ka-shing’s business said it had agreed to sell its 49% stake in VodafoneThree – a network with more than 27 million subscribers – to its partner Vodafone. Vodafone will buy out CK Hutchison, paying cash, and cancel the shares. The deal is part of CK’s efforts to reshape its global portfolio, offloading major assets to boost shareholder returns. It is also looking to sell most of its ports and is considering a potential stock market listing of its retail arm. CK Hutchison held a controlling stake in Three before it announced a merger with Vodafone’s British telecoms network in 2023. The £16.5bn tie-up brought the UK’s third and fourth biggest operators together to create a new market leader, ahead of EE, owned by BT, and Virgin Media O2, owned by Spain’s Telefónica and the US-listed company Liberty Global.…