London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 19, 2025

Plans to privatise Channel 4 to be scrapped by Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan, reports suggest

Plans to privatise Channel 4 to be scrapped by Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan, reports suggest

The government faced heavy criticism - including from senior members of its own party and the British media industry - over the announcement last April that Channel 4 would be privatised.
The Culture Secretary has written to Rishi Sunak recommending the government drops its plans to privatise Channel 4, according to reports.

Michelle Donelan's predecessor Nadine Dorries announced the decision to take the broadcaster out of public ownership during former PM Boris Johnson's premiership.

When Ms Dorries announced the plans, she said it was so the broadcaster can better survive in a media landscape dominated by the likes of Netflix and Amazon.

Ms Donelan, who was appointed culture secretary by Liz Truss and remained in the role after Mr Sunak took over as prime minister, had previously cast doubt on plans to privatise the broadcaster.

She had said she was re-examining the "business case" to make sure "we still agree with that decision".

But a leaked letter written by Ms Donelan to Mr Sunak, seen by The News Agents podcast on Wednesday, allegedly reveals the culture secretary looks set to scrap the policy.

A Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport spokesperson said: "We do not comment on speculation.

"The DCMS secretary of state has been clear that we are looking again at the business case for the sale of Channel 4. We will announce more on our plans in due course."

Channel 4 was created in 1982 by Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government and is entirely funded by advertising, out of public ownership. Everything it airs is commissioned from external production companies.

Former culture secretary Ms Dorries criticised the reported move, tweeting: "Three years of a progressive Tory government being washed down the drain. Levelling up, dumped. Social care reform, dumped. Keeping young and vulnerable people safe online, watered down.

"A bonfire of EU leg, not happening. Sale of C4 giving back £2b reversed. Replaced with what?

"A policy at some time in the future to teach maths for longer with teachers we don't yet even have to do so. Where is the mandate - who voted for this?

"Will now be almost impossible to face the electorate at a GE and expect voters to believe or trust our manifesto commitments."

But other Conservative MPs and members of the opposition parties have praised the apparent change of policy.

Former Tory minister Stephen Hammond said: "I have always thought that its commercial future can be more sustainably secured by a new mandate within the current model," he posted on social media.

"This decision will ensure the independent UK production industry will continue to thrive and prosper."

While fellow senior Conservative Simon Hoare added: "A welcome and excellent decision/recommendation by Michelle Donelan: If it ain't broke; don't fix it!"

Shadow culture secretary Lucy Powell said: "The Conservatives' vendetta against Channel 4 was always wrong for Britain, growth in our creative economy, and a complete waste of everyone's time.

"Our broadcasting and creative industries lead the world, yet this government has hamstrung them for the last year with the total distraction of Channel 4 privatisation.

"Labour opposed this sell off, and took a strong stand against it.

"The government must now bring forward the Media Bill to protect and promote Britain's broadcasters in the streaming age."

Liberal Democrat MP Jamie Stone added that the plans to sell off Channel 4 were "nothing more than a culture war waged by a rash and reckless cabinet".
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
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
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
×