Calls demand complete political and financial independence for the BBC to protect it from possible government efforts to defund or abolish it. Reform's manifesto labels the BBC as out-of-touch, wasteful and institutionally biased and pledges to scrap the TV licence as 'taxation without representation.' Observers warn that measures similar to US actions against publicly funded media could occur in Britain if Reform gains power. Proposals include ending the 10-year charter renewal process and removing the prime minister's power to appoint the BBC chair and board to place editorial and creative independence beyond political reach.
In other words, the one-time reality TV star who leads Reform has some bracing reality in store for TV. It's recklessly complacent to ignore it. What's happened in the US is, as likely as not, going to happen here. We have to address this now. His comments come with Reform consistently leading in the polls and fears within Labour and the Conservatives about its rise.
It's extraordinary, when you think about it, that if parliament chooses not to renew the royal charter in 2027, the BBC will cease to exist. The BBC, which politicians can't help but keep on a leash, is, in effect, on a 10-year rolling contract. Political interference and the perception of a political presence looming over the BBC is a problem, one that we've got too accustomed to. And it looks likely to get worse.
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