Hunt accused over 'dodgy BBC deal'

Jeremy Hunt has hit back at claims he has made a 'dodgy deal' with the BBC
12 April 2012

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt has been accused of putting his political ambitions ahead of the BBC's future in securing a "dodgy deal" which will see the licence fee frozen for six years.

Shadow culture secretary Ivan Lewis said the last-minute negotiations to reach agreement before last week's spending review announcement "rode roughshod over the independence of the BBC, crushed any serious prospect of reform, and involved no consultation".

But Mr Hunt defended the way a settlement was reached, and said the result was "acceptable to the BBC and very popular with the public".

As part of the deal which will see the licence fee frozen at £142.50 until 2017, the BBC took on the running of the BBC World Service, BBC Monitoring and Welsh-language broadcaster S4C.

During Commons question time, Mr Lewis said: "The BBC is one of this country's great institutions, and its future a matter of public interest.

"Of course the BBC cannot be exempt from cuts at this difficult time, but can I ask you how you can justify a negotiating process which rode roughshod over the independence of the BBC, crushed any serious prospect of reform, and involved no consultation with licence fee payers or parliamentarians?

"Can you confirm at one point in the negotiations the BBC Trust board considered mass resignation, and that it now faces a judicial review by S4C?

"Is this not another example of you doing a dodgy deal for the Chancellor in order to further your own political ambitions, instead of providing responsible leadership on an issue of crucial importance to the future of this country?"

But Mr Hunt hit back: "I'm delighted to talk to you about the BBC, because the new licence fee settlement was announced last Wednesday and the Opposition has been absolutely deafening in the silence of its response. It hasn't been able to work out what to do because we have a settlement that's acceptable to the BBC and very popular with the public.

"And let me tell you the difference between what happened when your party negotiated the licence fee and when we did. When your party did it, it took two years, it cost £3 million, and it ended up with an above-inflation rise. We have done it it took two weeks, it cost nothing, and we have got a freeze for six years."

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