| "The Group has paid two dividends of 72.00 and 72.01 pence per share in December 2019 and March 2020 respectively, in line with our quarterly dividend payment policy to give shareholders a more regular cash return. The Board has revisited the Group’s capital allocation policy with a view to de-risking the business and further strengthening the balance sheet. It has decided to rebase the dividend by a third to provide increased financial flexibility, with the priority of accelerating debt reduction to the lower end of our existing 2-2.5 times target range, which we expect to achieve by the end of 2022. This implies an annual dividend of 137.71 pence per share. Accordingly, we have declared an interim dividend of 41.70 pence per share. This dividend will be paid in two payments of 20.85 pence per share on 30 June 2020 and 30 September 2020, with an ex-dividend date of 28 May and 20 August respectively." |
