Jacob Rees-Mogg has said the licence fee should be scrapped as forgetful women “don’t remember” to pay it.
The Tory former Cabinet minister has stepped up calls for the broadcaster to be targeted following its U-turn in the Gary Lineker row.
Appearing on rival channel GB News - which pays him as a presenter - Mr Rees-Mogg said
said the BBC should no longer be funded through the £159-a-year charge.
“Then no one would mind because it wouldn't be paid for by poll tax,” he said. “And they wouldn't be prosecuting primarily women who don't always remember to pay this poll tax.
“This is a real challenge for the BBC. We don't need it as a state-funded broadcaster.”
Women made up 76 per cent of the 52,376 people convicted for TV licence evasion in 2020.
But an official report into the gender disparity found it was because of reasons including women being more likely to be at home to answer the door to enforcement officers.
There was no suggestion it was because women are forgetful.
Telly bosses announced yesterday Mr Lineker will be back on screens at the weekend after they called a truce with him.
Tory MPs are seeking revenge on the broadcaster by demanding the abolition of the licence fee.
Scott Benton, who had argued the presenter’s position was “ completely untenable”, said: “The licence fee is a decades out of date, regressive tax which people shouldn’t have to pay simply to watch TV.”
Tom Hunt, who had written to the BBC to demand Mr Lineker issue a full apology “at the very least”, said: “Times have changed. I sense there is growing support for moving away from the coercive nature of the licence fee.”
And ex-minister Andrea Jenkyns called on the Culture Secretary to “carry out a review on BBC bias and for the £159-a-year fee to ultimately be ditched”.
Mr Lineker was pulled off the air after he criticised the government's new Illegal Migration Bill and questioned their use of language towards refugees.
But the BBC backed down yesterday after more than 210,000 people signed a Mirror petition calling for him to be reinstated and several of his colleagues boycotted the broadcaster in solidarity.
Tim Davie, the BBC director-general, yesterday announced a review into the “difficult balancing act” of its social media guidance for staff, in a bid to ensure that it was “clear, proportionate and appropriate” going forward.
Mr Lineker said that he and his employer could now continue “to fight the good fight, together”.
Downing Street has said the licence fee would remain in place until the end of 2027.
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