Drop Channel 4 privatisation plans, Conservative MPs urge Boris Johnson

Parliamentarians have written to Boris Johnson saying that “Channel 4 isn’t broke, and doesn’t need fixing” and that the Government should “leave it alone”, The Observer newspaper reported on Sunday.

The intervention from signatories, including former Culture Secretary Karen Bradley, comes after a review into the structure of the channel, which also has a base in Leeds, was announced last year.

They said: “Margaret Thatcher created Channel 4 as a publicly owned, non-profit public sector broadcaster that would act as an incubator for independent, risk-taking, innovative private sector companies.

“She had a vision to level up the broadcasting landscape and she succeeded spectacularly well.

“We should maintain her legacy, not put it at risk.”

A spokesman for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said the Government’s commitment to independent regional productions would continue following any potential sale of Channel 4.

He added: “There is a wealth of evidence on the challenges for linear TV broadcasters and it is right we consider a change in ownership to support Channel 4’s long-term sustainability.

“This could allow more and quicker investment in creative content and platforms to support the wider creative industries.”