Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has withdrawn her support for the TV licence fee due to a recent BBC documentary which was fronted by the son of a Hamas official.
The UK’s public broadcaster came under fire over the past week over the “Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone” documentary.
In order to watch live programming or stream from BBC iPlayer, Britons need to pay the licence fee every year which currently costs £169.50 annually.
Badenoch has called for an inquiry into allegations of “potential collusion” with the terrorist organisation in the wake of the controversy.
In a letter to the BBC’s director general Tim Davie, the Tory leader suggested the inclusion of the Hamas agricultural minister’s son is the reason she has opted to withdraw her support.
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Kemi Badenoch has called for the BBC licence fee to be scrapped
PA
She accused the broadcaster of bias and is lobbying for a full investigation into the BBC2 programme, specifically on whether cash may have been given to the terrorist group.
Following “continuing questions raised” from viewers, the BBC has removed the “Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone” from iPlayer.
Badenoch wrote: “The BBC must recognise how serious these allegations are for its public standing.
“The BBC’s Middle East coverage is widely regarded as unreliable. The Conservative Party has supported the BBC in Government, including through the current charter, which will end in 2027.
“I cannot see how my party could support the continuation of the current licence fee-based system without serious action by the BBC management to prove the organisation is committed to true impartiality.”
Other Conservative leaders have floated axing the licence fee, including former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, however, Badenoch’s remarks represent an evolution from the party’s position.
Notably, she suggested the family connection between the boy featured in the documentary and Hamas may have led to “the possibility of payment to Hamas officials”.
The Tory leader added: “The BBC also suggested that ‘usual compliance procedures’ had been followed. But does filming inside Gaza not require something far beyond usual checks?
“This is why I support calls for an independent inquiry into the documentary’s commissioning and production, which should be concluded and published in a timely way.”
As it stands, the Government has pledged to raise the BBC licence fee in line with inflation every year under 2027.
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In its current trajectory, the levy is set to rise to £174.50 annually in April but it has not yet been decided how the BBC will be funded after 2027.
A BBC spokesman said: “Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone features important stories we think should be told – those of the experiences of children in Gaza.
“There have been continuing questions raised about the programme and in the light of these, we are conducting further due diligence with the production company.
“The programme will not be available on iPlayer while this is taking place.”
