Brexiteer calls for major overhaul of BBC licence fee as Beeb branded 'out of touch'

Sir John Redwood has said those that pay for the license fee should receive shares in the BBC

A Tory MP and Brexiteer has called for major changes to the BBC licence fee, branding the broadcaster “out of touch”.

Sir John Redwood is calling for an “ownership revolution” to the license fee, stating that those who pay should be given shares in the co-operation.

He also said that payers should have a say in who the broadcaster appoints as its bosses.

Expressing his views in a pamphlet, Sir Redwood said that the BBC was “the most obvious state service that could be transformed by wider ownership”.

Centre-right think tank the Centre for Policy Studies published the pamphlet to challenge the existing licensing fee model.

The Conservative MP criticised the existing licence fee model and said the BBC’s incomes are being slashed by streaming services alternatives.

He blasted the broadcaster as being “often out of touch with much of its potential audience”.

The MP critiqued the BBC for becoming “a major voice of the net zero movement, a robust supporter of international governance and a doughty opponent of populism”.

He said that the best cure to this problem is for the BBC to ask its audience for their opinion on the service.

This would include what content they would like to see, if they would pay for certain services, and how this should all be paid for.

“The Government should therefore announce that the BBC will be given to the licence-payers.

“On a stated date, anyone who is paying a licence fee would be granted a single share in the BBC, which would be newly incorporated to reflect its changed ownership,” the Thatcherite stated.

He also said the Government should make the license fee a regular service charge, criminalising those who fail to pay it.

This would benefit the BBC as they could then charge more for certain services, Sir Redwood claims.

He also warned that the UK is at risk of falling back into nationalised industries and reliance on the civil service.

Sir Redwood said ministers should instead focus on boosting ownership.

The MP for Wokingham in Berkshire said that ownership is a “core philosophical dividing line” between conservatism and socialism.

He said under socialism people “live in a rented ‘social’ house, depend on earnings from employment or on state benefits, and have no savings or private pensions to sustain a decent lifestyle”.

A spokesperson for the BBC said: “The BBC’s existing charter runs until the end of 2027, beyond that it is right there is a discussion on whether, and if, the licence fee needs to evolve.

“We look forward to a healthy public debate that ensures the BBC is best-equipped to continue delivering for audiences in the UK and around the world.”