Lord Robathan
Main Page: Lord Robathan (Conservative - Life peer)BBC: Impartiality
Lord Robathan Excerpts(1 day, 22 hours ago)
Lords ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Watch Debate
Baroness Twycross (Lab)
The Government are still considering the mid-term review recommendations that require updates to the BBC framework agreement and decisions will be made in due course. I am happy to write to the noble Viscount on the specific points he raised.
Lord Robathan (Con)
My Lords, at George Alagiah’s memorial service, in his excellent address Tim Davie said that George was the best of the best because he gave the facts of the news rather than his opinions about it. That was a fairly barbed comment. When will people like me who do not want to subsidise the opinions of commentators be allowed to stop paying the licence fee?
Baroness Twycross (Lab)
The Secretary of State and the Prime Minister have committed to the licence fee for the remainder of the current charter period, until 2027. Ahead of the charter review, the Government will keep an open mind about the future of the licence fee and engage with the BBC, the public and other stakeholders before making decisions, but I am afraid that the noble Lord is not currently exempt from it.