How could politicians finally kill off the BBC?

With yet another crisis at the BBC comes another round of speculation about its future. The corporation has managed to survive many scandals in the past, including the sacking or resignation of a surprisingly large number of directors general and chairs; the Wilson, Thatcher, Blair and Johnson governments were all characterised by especially spectacular disputes with the national broadcaster.

But for commercial and political reasons, the latest threats feel more deadly. Here’s how politicians might kill the BBC.

It began in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, a private limited firm run on commercial lines and given an exclusive licence to do so by the General Post Office. It was then “nationalised” and became the British Broadcasting Corporation in 1927.

Like universities and some royal societies, it has an unusual status in being established by royal charter. This gives it a certain amount of valuable independence from political interference as well as prestige and stability, even if the royal charter has a finite span. In terms of governance it is overseen by that most anachronistic of arrangements in the governance of Britain, the privy council – a kind of technocratic arm of the state.

The next charter is due to be granted in 2027, replacing the one agreed with Theresa May’s government in late 2016. (The length of each term is a matter for the government, and it used to be much longer, with periodic minor reviews and extensions; for example, the one granted in 1964 lasted until 1981). If the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, were minded she and her colleagues could give the BBC a charter of 15 years or even longer.

According to the privy council, it’s virtually impossible for a royal charter to be rescinded by the King or privy council unless the body concerned gives it up. The last time such an issue was forced was in the reign of Charles II.

A government with sufficient support could pass an act of parliament to cancel the charter from a given date; everything the BBC does, from selling rights worldwide to filming an episode of Strictly to broadcasting the shipping forecast, would simply cease. In a process of forced dismemberment, the more promising parts would be sold off to the private sector, including groups based outside the UK. A subscription service or government grants might support some highly uneconomic operations, such as local radio and arts output.

Messy, but it would be easy for the culture secretary to impose large cuts in the licence fee, gradually winding it down even under existing charter arrangements – although the BBC might not be able to honour its commitments agreed with the state.

Reform UK is easily the most hostile, and Nigel Farage has made no secret of his contempt for the BBC. Its 2024 manifesto was unequivocal, advocating “commercial reform” without explicitly advocating abolition: “The out-of-touch wasteful BBC is institutionally biased. The TV licence is taxation without representation. We will scrap it. In a world of on-demand TV, people should be free to choose.”

In practical terms, forcing the BBC to become an entirely commercial service might achieve the same result unless the organisation can slim down, shed its public service obligations overnight and yet still hang on to current audiences.

The Tories were less radical last time around, but leader Kemi Badenoch has been hardening her stance, consistent with her “culture wars” agenda. A few years ago, then culture minister Nadine Dorries said the present licence fee settlement “will be the last”.

For the government, Nandy has said only that: “We will launch the BBC Charter Review later this year to support a BBC that is empowered to continue to deliver a vital public service funded in a sustainable way. A BBC that can maintain the trust and support of the public in difficult times, support the wider ecosystem, and that is set up to drive growth in every part of the United Kingdom.”

She has also said the licence fee is “unenforceable” and that “no options are off the table”, but she’s also said taxpayers’ money won’t be used to fund the BBC.

The Liberal Democrats explicitly support the current licence fee mechanism, but recently asked Ofcom to address the BBC’s “wall-to-wall” coverage of Reform UK, saying the broadcaster is “following Farage around like a lost puppy” and “fanning the flames of a dangerous populism.”