Boris Johnson steps up assault on BBC by launching review into licence fee decriminalisation

New review into how the annual charge 'remains relevant in this changing media landscape'

Boris Johnson has stepped up his assault on the BBC with the launch of a new consultation on whether failure to pay the licence fee should be a criminal offence.

Culture secretary Nicky Morgan will question how to ensure the £154.50 annual charge which funds the public broadcaster "remains relevant in this changing media landscape" in a review into sanctions for non-payment of the licence fee.

People who refuse to pay face fines of up to £1,000, criminal convictions and even imprisonment - although only five people went to prison for failing to pay in 2018.

The consultation will evaluate whether criminal sanctions for the non-payment of the licence fee should be replaced by an alternative enforcement scheme.​

The move comes amid rising tensions between Downing Street and journalists, with senior political correspondents, including The Independent, boycotting a briefing over the decision to bar certain publications.

Mr Johnson also made it clear he was considering removing the BBC's licence fee during the election. His advisers have also banned Tory ministers from appearing on the broadcaster's flagship Today programme.

In a speech on Wednesday, Baroness Morgan is expected to say: "As we move into an increasingly digital age, with more and more channels to watch and platforms to choose from, the time has come to think carefully about how we make sure the TV licence fee remains relevant in this changing media landscape.

“Many people consider it wrong that you can be imprisoned for not paying for your TV licence and that its enforcement punishes the vulnerable.

“Today we are launching a public consultation to make sure we have a fair and proportionate approach to licence fee penalties and payments, that protects those most in need in society.”

Baroness Morgan will also announce a flexible payment scheme to allow pensioners to split the bill into instalments - after scrapping the benefit for over 75s.

In 2018, more than 121,000 people were convicted and sentenced for licence fee evasion, with an average fine of £176.

There were about 26 million TV licences in the UK last year, which generated £3.69bn for the BBC.

A BBC spokesman said any proposals to decriminalise non-payment of the licence fee should be considered at the time of the settlement.

He added: "A detailed government-commissioned review found the current system to be the fairest and most effective.

"It did not recommend change - in part because the current system is effective in ensuring payment with very few people ever going to prison."

Any changes "must be fair to law-abiding licence fee payers and delivered in a way that doesn't fundamentally undermine the BBC's ability to deliver the services they love," he said.

Outgoing director-general of the BBC Lord Tony Hall previously defended the licence fee model, saying that "because we are funded by everyone, we must offer something outstanding for everyone".

The broadcaster recently announced it would be cutting 450 jobs as part of an £80m saving drive, including the closure of BBC Two's Victoria Derbyshire programme.