Future of BBC licence fee thrown into fresh doubt as Keir Starmer says he's keeping an ‘open mind' on its future
TV TAX DOUBT Future of BBC licence fee thrown into fresh doubt as Keir Starmer says he's keeping an 'open mind' on its future
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THE future of the BBC licence fee was last night thrown into doubt as Sir Keir Starmer said he kept an 'open mind' about it.
A review into the Corporation's charter is currently underway and is looking at areas including the funding model.
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Keir Starmer cast doubt on the future of the BBC licence fee by saying he's keeping an 'open mind' about it
Credit: AFP
The compulsory £174.50 telly tax has come under criticism in an age of more competition from other broadcasters and streaming platforms.
Culture Select Committee chair Dame Caroline Dineage yesterday challenged the PM on the future of the 'regressive tax'.
The PM replied: 'We're going through the review and it'll obviously come to its conclusion, and we keep an open mind on what we need to do with the licence fee.
"But we are working closely with the BBC.'
The BBC has recently drawn anger from government over its handling of the Gregg Wallace scandal and its reporting on the war in Gaza.
The broadcaster's annual report released earlier this month revealed competition from streaming services has created a "moment of real jeopardy for the sector".
An estimated 300,000 households have stopped paying.
The report revealed 23.8m licences were in force at the end of the year, down from 24.1m in 2023-24.
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