Boris Johnson launching 'unprecedented' attack on BBC, says former director-general

'The previous gentleman who suggested this would be seen as an attack on the BBC is correct, as I'm sure you well know,' says Lord Birt

A former head of the BBC has accused the government of mounting an "unprecedented" attack on the public broadcaster in a clash over plans for a review into the licence fee.

Lord Birt, a former director general, challenged Nicky Morgan at a speech in London, where she launched an eight-week consultation into whether failure to pay annual £154.50 charge should be a criminal offence.

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 move has been widely seen as an escalation in Boris Johnson's attack on the corporation, which has seen Tory ministers banned from appearing on BBC Radio 4's flagship Today programme.

"The previous gentleman who suggested this would be seen as an attack on the BBC is correct, as I'm sure you well know," Lord Birt told the culture secretary at an event on Wednesday.

Lord Birt said the BBC was a "peerless, although never perfect" organisation and the charter agreed between the broadcaster and the government was the best was to ensure its independence.

He said: "This week, way outside the charter period, you are instituting a review that is pretty much unprecedented. Do you accept that?"

Baroness Morgan replied: "No I don't accept the premise of the question... The BBC is going to be 100 years old in 2022 and any 100-year-old organisation, I think it's right that for the reasons set out, we are doing to look at the overall model."

The move was not unprecedented, she said, and a longer debate is needed on the licence fee in general.

Earlier, Baroness Morgan rejected claims the move was a "punishment beating" for the BBC over its coverage of Brexit and the general election in December.

The broadcaster has come under sustained fire from all sides - with both Labour and the Tories accusing it of bias.

Baroness Morgan questioned how the BBC "remains relevant in this changing media landscape" as part of review into sanctions for non-payment of the licence fee.

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

Shadow culture secretary Tracy Brabin said: "The future of the BBC is under serious threat from this Conservative government.

"Decriminalising non-payment of the licence fee will leave the corporation without a predictable income and potentially hundreds of millions of pounds short. The BBC as a public broadcaster is highly valued and something we should fight to protect.”

Liberal Democrat media spokesperson Daisy Cooper said it was a "blatant attempt to kill it [the BBC] off" by the government.

“These proposed changes – which could deprive the BBC of more than £200 million – would put at risk the BBC’s investment in our homegrown British talent, and leave TV content at the mercy of US corporates," she said.

A spokesman for the BBC 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."