BBC stars hit back at Nadine Dorries over end of licence fee

BBC presenters have criticised the culture secretary’s plans to scrap the licence fee while ministers try to deflect attention from the crisis gripping Boris Johnson’s premiership.

Nadine Dorries said “state-run TV has had its day” and that the government would explore other models, such as subscription or mutual ownership.

She announced that she wanted to keep the licence fee flat at £159 a year until April 2024, a real-term cut to the corporation’s funding. After that she expects it to rise in line with inflation until 2028 when she wants to scrap the fee and find a new funding model. “This licence fee announcement will be the last,” she said. “Time now to discuss and debate new ways of funding.”

• Analysis: What are