Now MPS urge Boris to target the BBC...
TOP Tory MPS want Boris Johnson to shake-up public television broadcasting and go far beyond merely scrapping the BBC’S licence fee.
They say that measure should be “just the beginning” and want farreaching change, including potentially breaking up the Corporation and selling off Channel 4.
A perception of political bias has fuelled demands for change. anger at the BBC in particular but also with Channel 4 has been described by a former minister as “incendiary”.
They said: “There is a real appetite for major change. Colleagues are fed up with the bias and the way the BBC covers major issues.”
Another Tory said: “It is the Brussels Broadcasting Corporation. There is no balance or impartiality. Another said: “It is too big and too dominant, and only reflects a narrow, west London liberal view which is disconnected from much of the country.”
The comments come after Mr Johnson revealed that he is looking at decriminalising non-payment of the licence fee and perhaps scrapping it.
That would mean the BBC having to switch to a subscription model like Netflix or Sky, or turn to advertising.
MPS also have Channel 4 in their sights. One MP described it as “a Marxist lefty propaganda channel”. There is a push to have it sold off, with suggestions it could be a British version of the right-wing Fox News.
Before the election, the head of Channel 4 News Dorothy Byrne described Mr Johnson as “a known liar” and a “coward”. He was also targeted when the channel hosted its debate on climate change and put an ice sculpture in his place. He was then misquoted, amid claims he had referred to “people of colour” when he was actually speaking of “people of talent” in a video on immigration.
Mr Johnson’s campaign team was said to be livid with the BBC when interviewer Andrew Neil issued his infamous public challenge.
There were concerns, too, that it always weighted its guest speakers in favour of Remainers. News-watch last year launched a legal challenge to the BBC for failing to be impartial on Brexit. Its evidence showed that out of 25 Question Time shows, 22 had a Remain majority on the panel.
But the BBC has defended its political coverage. Director general Lord Hall said: “Around 27 million people came to the BBC website to find out about the election results. It was a reminder of the trust people place in the BBC.” It has also resisted more changes to the licence fee after agreeing to take on the cost of free licences to over-75s in exchange for the Government not decriminalising non-payment.
But Tory MP Andrew Bridgen, who has led the push for decriminalisation, said: “The protected status that the BBC has enjoyed is not its saviour or salvation. Instead, it has allowed it to become distant from the very people it is meant to serve.
“Decriminalisation will be a huge catalyst for change and how the BBC responds and evolves to this will decide its future.”