BBC licence fee 'must go' as 'trust has collapsed' in broken broadcaster

Rebecca Ryan, campaign director of Defund the BBC, dismissed the broadcaster's consultation as "little more than a PR exercise designed to protect a failing funding model".

She said: "Instead of asking how to modernise the licence fee, the real question should be why we still have one at all. The BBC is the only broadcaster in the UK that relies on criminal enforcement to fund itself - a system that disproportionately targets women and the least well-off.

"If the corporation truly believes it offers value, it should have no fear of voluntary subscriptions. The future of broadcasting is choice, not compulsion."

The BBC's relationship with the public is "badly broken" and trust has collapsed, the broadcaster has been warned as new research shows less than half the public think it is sufficiently independent of the Government. More than 870,000 people took part in a consultation on the BBC's future and only 43% said they thought it was "effective" when it came to being "independent from the Government of the day". Thirty-eight per cent said it was ineffective.

This is despite 91% saying independence from Government is important. The findings come as Ofcom has found the broadcaster guilty of a "serious breach" of rules by not stating that the narrator of a documentary about Gaza was a Hamas official's son.

Shadow Culture Secretary Nigel Huddleston said: "When fewer than half the public believe the BBC is impartial, it's clear something is badly broken. Trust has collapsed because people see an institution that appears more interested in protecting itself than serving the public.

"The licence fee can only be justified by independence and impartiality. The BBC must deliver it."

Conservative MP Jack Rankin was even stronger in his criticism, saying: "It's no surprise that fewer than half of Brits believe the BBC is truly independent - the bias is rarely to the Tory or Labour front bench, but to the BBC's own narrow progressive agenda. Their Gaza documentary, which Ofcom ruled materially misled audiences, is all the proof we need to show where the BBC's true motives lie - and they're certainly not with the British public.

"It's time to scrap the licence fee."

The long-term funding of the BBC is uncertain, with its presenter charter only running until the end of 2027.

Tim Davie, the director-general of the BBC, said the "incredible response" to its questionnaire showed "how much people care about the BBC".

He said: "I strongly believe the BBC has never been more needed, both in the UK and around the world. The results of the questionnaire are clear - our audience wants an independent BBC, delivering high-quality programmes and content that they can trust; that tells the stories that matter to them and that reflect their lives."