Julian Knight MP
(Picture: PA Archive)A senior Conservative MP has questioned if the government’s decision to privatise Channel 4 was motivated by “revenge”.
Ministers have agreed the broadcaster, which launched in 1982, will be put up for sale next year.
The privatisation is expected to raise more than £1billion and ministers have reportedly not ruled out a sale to a big US streaming service such as Netflix or Disney.
However, MP Julian Knight has now publicly condemned the decision as he claimed many Tories believe it is “payback time” for “biased coverage”.
It is certainly true that Channel 4 will have greater freedom to compete once privatised and if managed well it should be able to continue to innovate and crucially appeal to young audiences - a real usp in today’s broadcast landscape.
— Julian Knight MP (@julianknight15) April 5, 2022
In a string of tweets, Mr Knight addressed what he claimed to be the “elephant in the room”.
He wrote: “Is this being done for revenge for Channel 4’s biased coverage of the likes of Brexit and personal attacks on the PM? The timing of the announcement 7pm, coinciding with Channel 4 news, was very telling…”
Mr Knight, who is the chairman of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee (DCMS), emphasised these were his own views and not those of the “committee more generally”.
He wrote: “It is certainly true that Channel 4 will have greater freedom to compete once privatised and if managed well it should be able to continue to innovate and, crucially, appeal to young audiences – a real usp in today’s broadcast landscape.
“However, this is a big risk. The question has to be, do you think a restricted but brilliant small state broadcaster will part-compete with the likes of Apple and Amazon, or does it need to be able to borrow and grow in a way only privatisation can unlock?
“In all this, it’s crucial the Government protects the prominence of all public service broadcasting through the new media bill, in order to give the likes of a new privatised Channel 4 a head start.
“Undoubtedly, across much of the party – there is a feeling of payback time and the word privatisation tickles the ivories of many. The money is irrelevant – equivalent to four days’ national debt interest – so it must be used to support skills in creative sectors.
“So, to sum up. Privatisation – even for some wrong reasons – can work for C4 but must be part of a thorough overhaul of all public service broadcasting. If this is in the media bill I will support the Government. Finally, these are my views not those of the committee more generally.”
Former Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson added to the chorus of condemnation by saying the announcement marked the “opposite of levelling up”.
In a tweet, Baroness Davidson added: “Channel 4 is publicly-owned, not publicly-funded. It doesn’t cost the taxpayer a penny.
“It also, by charter, commissions content but doesn’t make/own its own. It’s one of the reasons we have such a thriving indy sector in places like Glasgow.”
Former culture secretary Jeremy Hunt told Times Radio he is “uneasy” about the Channel 4 privatisation.
Currently the channel is owned by the Government and receives its funding from advertising.
During a select committee hearing in November last year, Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries claimed the broadcaster was in “receipt of public money” when discussing the future of the channel.
On Monday, Dorries said she wanted the broadcaster to remain a “cherished place in British life” but felt that government ownership was “holding Channel 4 back from competing against streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon”.
“I will seek to reinvest the proceeds of the sale into levelling up the creative sector, putting money into independent production and creative skills in priority parts of the country – delivering a creative dividend for all,” she added in a tweet.
Channel 4 has said it is “disappointed” at the Government’s decision to proceed with plans to privatise the broadcaster without “formally recognising the significant public interest concerns which have been raised”.
