Bexhill and Battle MP urges against ‘fight’ with BBC

The move comes amid reports that Downing Street wants to scrap the licence fee and replace it with a subscription service.

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Mr Merriman, who is chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on the BBC, said: “The Government has wasted little time in putting pledges into action. We are delivering Brexit. The recruitment of 20,000 new police officers is under way. Increasing sentences for the most violent criminals is going on the statute books.

“There is only one pledge where we appear to have gone back on ourselves - the BBC. Having promised to ‘work with our cultural institutions like the BBC to expand our influence and project our values’, the noises coming from Government appear to suggest the BBC should in fact be slimmed down and put on subscription.

“More worrying, it feels as if senior government aides are now ramping up an unedifying vendetta against this much-admired corporation.

“This is an institution which enjoys an 80 per cent approval rating from the same public which elected this government.

“Given some lent us votes for the first time, it begs the question as to why we are picking such a potentially unpopular fight.

“Of course, the future of the licence fee should be up for discussion.

“With more of our media services behind paywall and subscription, it is right to consider whether the ownership of a television set and aerial should be a basis to pay £154 a year for BBC television, sounds and internet output.”

The Government has announced it will seek the public’s views on whether evasion of the TV licence should be decriminalised.

In other news:

Bexhill nursery praised for ‘outstanding’ service.

Missing Bexhill teenager returns home.

Bexhill man jailed for ‘vicious’ offences against women still wanted by police.