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CULTURE Secretary Michelle Donelan has written to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak recommending the government drop its plans to privatise Channel 4.
The decision to take the broadcaster out of public ownership was announced under the tenure of her predecessor, Nadine Dorries, who led the move during Boris Johnson’s premiership.
In a letter to Mr Sunak, Ms Donelan said she has “concluded that pursuing a sale at this point is not the right decision.”
She added that its role in supporting the independent production sector “would be very disrupted by a sale at a time when growth and economic stability are our priorities.”
Shadow culture secretary Lucy Powell said: “The Conservatives’ vendetta against Channel 4 was always wrong for Britain … and a complete waste of everyone’s time.
“Our broadcasting and creative industries lead the world, yet this government has hamstrung them for the last year with the total distraction of Channel 4 privatisation.”
A spokesman for the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said Ms Donelan has been clear that the government is looking again at the business case for the sale of Channel 4.
“We will announce more on our plans in due course,” he said.
