BBC blasts ministers as Morgan says licence fee could be axed in 7 years

THE BBC has accused ministers of trying to ‘catastrophise’ issues around the TV Licence fee amid suggestions it could be scrapped as early as 2027.

Culture Secretary Nicky Morgan yesterday called into question the future of the corporation’s current funding when its charter ends in seven years.

But it sparked a war of words, with BBC supporters saying it was a deliberate attack on the broadcaster. A BBC spokesman said: ‘The BBC tried to set up a Netflix service a decade ago while they were still sending DVDs in the post, but was prevented from doing so by regulators.

‘There is a danger that politicians catastrophise the situation.

‘The BBC is the most used media organisation in the UK. You wouldn’t think that from some of the things said today.’

The Government yesterday launched a consultation on decriminalising licence fee evasion. Baroness Morgan said she rejected suggestions she was motivated by the BBC’s alleged slights to the Conservatives during the general election.

She added that changing viewing habits ‘should be an eye opener for the BBC’.

And she said ‘public service broadcasting is too important to allow it to become a historical relic like Blockbuster’.

Baroness Morgan said: ‘ Ahead of the next charter review process we will undertake a detailed look at the future of the TV licence model itself. The licence fee will remain in place for this charter period, which ends in December 2027. However, we must all be open minded about the future beyond this point.’

Most of the BBC’s income comes from the licence fee.