David Cameron 'to lobby Barack Obama, Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande' to back BAE-EADS deal The potential £30bn tie-up emerged last week after a leak, and both companies have argued it would be a logical deal because there is currently little overlap between them. But agreement on the terms of a deal is complex because of the political sensitivities involved. The French, German and Spanish states all control a stake in EADS and could potentially block a deal. The British government has a "golden share" in BAE, which would enable it to block a deal should it be considered against the interests of national security. However, it is thought ministers are broadly supportive of the merger as long as certain conditions are met. The American government is one of BAE's largest defence customers, so any tie-up would also have to be approved by the Pentagon.