London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Jul 25, 2025

BBC license fee to be scrapped

BBC license fee to be scrapped

Secretary of State for Culture Nadine Dorries said it’s time to debate ‘new ways of funding’
The UK government has announced a freeze on the BBC's funding for the next two years and a likely end date for the country’s license fee, a move that will force the broadcaster to make more cuts.

Culture minister Nadine Dorries said on Sunday that the standard obligatory fee for a TV license, which helps to fund the BBC, will remain at its current level of £159 (nearly $220) until 2024. It will then rise slightly for the next three years and is likely to be scrapped fully in 2027.

“This license fee announcement will be the last. The days of the elderly being threatened with prison sentences and bailiffs knocking on doors, are over. Time now to discuss and debate new ways of funding, supporting and selling great British content,” Dorries wrote on Twitter.

The move will create additional stress for the BBC’s management, already struggling to find new ways to keep the corporation afloat.

Last year, BBC chairman Richard Sharp issued a warning of “serious consequences for a poorly funded BBC.” He underlined that if the license fees did not keep pace with inflation, it would “leave a hole” in the corporation’s budget.

However, Boris Johnson’s government has apparently remained unconvinced by Sharp's arguments, with one of Dorries’ ‘allies’ quoted by the Daily Mail as saying that “the days of state-run TV are over” and that there would be “no more license fee renewals as long as Boris is PM.”

“The new generation of 19- to 34-year-olds are watching YouTube, Netflix and videos on demand – they don’t watch the BBC, and shouldn’t be forced to pay for it,” the secretary of state’s ‘ally’ said.
The issue of the BBC’s supposed

impartiality has been a long-running one, with members of the Conservative Party claiming left-wing bias in the broadcaster.In 2019, Johnson said that he was looking at scrapping license fees for good, “given the way other media organizations manage to fund themselves.”

“How long can you justify a system whereby everybody who has a TV has to pay to fund a particular set of TV and radio channels?” he said at the time.

With the cost of producing shows constantly growing due to rising inflation and increased competition with various streaming services, the BBC has already been forced to significantly reshape its structure and to make redundancies. Now it will likely be forced to make more cuts. Though the corporation’s income from license fees, which now stands at £3.2 billion (nearly $4.4bn) annually, is guaranteed until at least December 31, 2027, Sunday’s announcement creates more uncertainty over the BBC’s operating structure in the future.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
×