Scrapping the licence fee will force the BBC to excel

I have always argued that Britain deserves a national public broadcaster fit to showcase to the world the best of Great Britain.

We produce some of the finest talent there is. From the film and television industry, to theatre, sport and news broadcasting – British excellence can and should be broadcast.

Yet it is fair to ask whether the public broadcaster is fit for purpose. Could the concept be improved? Is the funding model sustainable? Does there need to be more scrutiny of impartiality?

One of the most disturbing developments is the increasing politicisation of the BBC. For a football pundit, on a taxpayer-funded salary of £1.3 million, to rant about immigration policy on social media and compare it to “Nazi Germany”, is unacceptable. Not only was such an episode outrageous, but it tested the public’s patience and detracted from all the good work the BBC can do.

Take the sports coverage the BBC airs. This includes all kinds of pursuits from grassroots rugby to indoor bowls.

The boffins at other media networks may think giving airtime to these various sporting codes is commercially unviable, which is entirely their prerogative as the pursuit of profit defines all they do. But a sport can only grow if it can be promoted, and that entails it being seen. A public service broadcaster can meet this need.

The Wimbledon championships, broadcast around the world, epitomise this. The sporting talent, the insightful commentary, the strawberries and cream, and the Wimbledon whites are a fixture of the English summer and are wonderfully showcased by the BBC.

Wimbledon was first televised on the BBC in 1937 and has been so ever since, making the tournament the longest-running partnership between a sporting event and broadcaster.

And what about the joy of listening to the BBC’s Test Match Special? Listeners receive hours of information and entertainment thanks to a charming mix of humour and expert analysis.

The promotion of the British countryside and rural living is also a great BBC endeavour. Programmes like Countryfile, Landward, and Springwatch all celebrate our natural world. Meanwhile, Farming Today remains important for those of us with an interest in agriculture.

All of this is exported around the world. So, too, is the BBC World Service, which provides a trusted news source to places which crave just that.

The BBC is capable of world-class work, but that doesn’t mean a discussion about future funding is not needed.

In a technologically savvy world, where most have a smartphone in their pocket or multiple devices in the one household, the appetite to consume content has increased. New entrants in the market have soaked up this demand in the form of streaming services.

Yet according to the latest Westminster speculation, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy is now thinking of slapping the licence fee on people who never view live TV and only watch the likes of Netflix or Disney+.

A new report, “Outdated, Outpaced and Out of Touch”, from Defund the BBC, suggests that the Corporation finds itself at a critical juncture, perhaps facing an “adapt or die” moment.

Increasingly the taxpayer questions the value in continually pumping money into a BBC which does not reflect their viewing habits. The TV licence is, for all intents and purposes, another tax many are unenthusiastic about paying.

So how can we guarantee “our” BBC and enhance the product on offer for Britons in a world of endless technological disruption? The BBC has enough talent to be able to compete fairly in today’s streaming world.

Surely the final destination must be a BBC which reflects the expectations of the public in both value and product, and above all, offers British excellence. For only then will it survive for another century and beyond.

Sir John Hayes is MP for South Holland and The Deepings. He is the chairman of the Common Sense Group of Conservative MPs

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