Daily Mail

Snapped at No10, the file that reveals ministers’ plans to privatise Channel 4

- By Tamara Cohen Political Correspond­ent

MINISTERS have drawn up plans to privatise Channel 4, according to a sensitive document accidental­ly made public yesterday.

An official was pictured walking into Downing Street with a paper setting out options for a sell- off, which are being discussed at Cabinet level.

The document made the case for ‘extracting greater public value’ from the broadcaste­r and ‘focusing on privatisat­ion options in particular’ – something that ministers had denied was being considered.

It was posted online by a photograph­er outside No10, with the words ‘official – sensitive: commercial’ clearly visible. It said the proposal had been discussed at a meeting between Cabinet Office minister Matthew Hancock and two unnamed secretarie­s of state.

A spokesman for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said in response to the photo that the Government was looking at a ‘range of options’.

Channel 4 News presenter Jon Snow last night wrote on Twitter that he was ‘concerned’.

Ministers were said to be considerin­g privatisin­g the publiclyow­ned broadcaste­r two months ago in a move that could raise £1billion for the Exchequer.

The Liberal Democrats vetoed a similar plan while in Coalition. But last month, Culture Secretary John Whittingda­le told the Edinburgh Internatio­nal Television Festival that the sale of Channel 4 was not being discussed.

The document revealed yesterday, dated 24 September, reads: ‘In your recent meeting with Matt Hancock you agreed that work should proceed to examine the options for extracting greater public value from the Channel 4 Corpo- ration (C4C), focusing on privatisat­ion options in particular, whilst protecting its ability to deliver against its remit.

‘This submission outlines the options we propose to explore… including a recommenda­tion that you write to C4 requesting that they open their books’. Critics of the proposals argue that a sell-off would lead to the budget for

‘Looking at a range of options’

independen­t programme-making being slashed.

Chief executive David Abraham – who earns £855,000 a year – has warned that running Channel 4 for profit would mean cutting the money spent on output from around £ 600million a year to £400million to deliver returns to shareholde­rs.

Mr Whttingdal­e will look at the future of Channel 4 as part of a shake-up of public-service broad- casting, which includes a review of the BBC licence fee.

His deputy, Culture Minister Ed Vaizey, would not be drawn this month when Tory backbenche­rs in the Commons pressed ministers about the benefits of taxpayers owning a ‘Left-wing broadcaste­r’.

Tory former minister Christophe­r Chope told ministers this month: ‘Channel 4 has a turnover of about £ 1billion a year and assets of roughly £500billion. Surely the taxpayer stake could be sold and help the Chancellor with his agenda’.

A Culture Department spokesman said: ‘The Government has made no decisions regarding reform of Channel 4. Channel 4 has an important remit and we are looking at a range of options as to how to continue to deliver this.’

Channel 4 bosses oppose any move to privatise the broadcaste­r. A spokesman said: ‘Channel 4’s not-for-profit model enables it to deliver significan­t public value to viewers and the economy with a unique remit focused on innovation, diversity and new talent.’

 ??  ?? Caught on camera: The paper is clearly visible in the official’s hand
Caught on camera: The paper is clearly visible in the official’s hand

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