Johnson wants to scrap BBC fees in the UK

Opposition is outraged
Boris Johnson wants to cut funding for BBC channels

According to British media such as “The Guardian”, Culture Minister Nadine Dorries announced on Sunday that BBC fees are to be abolished by 2027. The funding of the station is to be frozen for the next two years. The move is intended to reflect the increased importance of streaming services such as Netflix.

For the BBC, abolishing contributions, which currently account for the majority of funding at £3.2 billion (equivalent to around €3.83 billion) per year, would mean a radical restructuring. Thousands of jobs would have to be cut and several programs and special interest channels shut down. Currently, each household pays £159 a year.

The decision to cut the broadcaster’s funds is linked to Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s recent party affairs. He has been under enormous pressure for weeks because dozens of employees are said to have celebrated several lockdown parties in his office during the pandemic. The Prime Minister denies personal mistakes. The opposition and several conservative MPs are therefore demanding Johnson’s resignation.

In recent years, the BBC has repeatedly reported critically about the work of the British Prime Minister – most recently about the lockdown parties. The attack on the station in the opposition as a strategy to get rid of the allegations and unite the party behind it again.

Opposition criticizes the British government’s plans

Contribution payments have long been a thorn in the side of many conservatives. Johnson had already announced in 2019 that he would revise the fee system. According to The Guardian newspaper, government experts emphasized that the BBC’s critical reporting was not taken into account in the decision to abolish the fee.

Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, sees it differently. “Cuting funding for a beloved national treasure just because you don’t like the headlines on the 6 o’clock news is not how responsible government in a democracy should behave,” he was quoted as saying by the British media.

Labor expert Lucy Powell reacted with outrage to the British government’s plans. Prime Minister Boris Johnson only wanted to use the project to distract attention from his misconduct in the “Partygate” affair about lockdown parties at the seat of government, the Labor party criticized. Powell accused the government of “cultural vandalism” on Monday. “This is part of a diversionary strategy to blame everyone but herself,” she told Talk Radio.

Sources:“The Guardians”, with dpa material

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