The UK's new Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, has announced that plans to abolish the BBC's television licence fee are off the table now that the Labour Party is in power.
Starmer commits to BBC licence fee
The Guardian reports that Sir Keir said the following during his trip to Washington DC this week:
“We are committed to the BBC and to the licensing scheme in our manifesto. There will be a bit more thinking about it between now and [2027], but we are committed to the BBC and we are committed to the licensing arrangements.”
2027 is the year the BBC’s royal charter expires and decisions will have to be made about how to fund the BBC. The licence fee is currently set at £159 ($206.40) a year for every household with a TV capable of receiving live broadcasts. It brings in £3.2 billion ($3.89 billion) a year.
