PLANS to scrap the BBC’s daily Politics Live programme have been criticised by MPs, with broadcast chiefs told they should be expanding political programming rather than scrapping it.
One suggestion is that the show should occasionally come from Holyrood rather than Westminster.
The BBC2 show is under threat with bosses at the corporation looking to make around £125 million in savings. The programme is presented by Jo Coburn and regularly features four panellists from all parties.
In a letter to Fran Unsworth, the BBC’s director of news and current affairs, John Nicolson, who speaks for the SNP on media said the corporation should re-instate Politics Live to its daily slot. He said the SNP had unfairly lost out by the programme’s move to one slot a week.
Politics Live has been off air for most of the coronavirus crisis, but made a partial return last month when Prime Minister’s Questions came back to the Commons. It’s now on TV every Wednesday at 11.15am.
It had been assumed that the show would return to its daily slot after the summer recess.
However, reports this week suggest it could be in the firing line.
The show is relatively popular, and was regularly hitting 600,000 viewers at the height of Brexit. One source told The Telegraph that was a “staggering” number for a daytime BBC2 programme.
“At a time when impartiality is meant to be at the heart of everything the BBC wants to do, it seems very odd for management not to be supporting the one politics programme that offers diversity of opinion,” they added.
Nicolson said in his letter: “You will be aware that the SNP have repeatedly raised concerns about the need to improve and diversify BBC coverage so that it reflects our multi-party system and the reality of politics, news and current affairs in Scotland and all four UK nations.
“It is concerning then that rather than making the BBC’s network offering more inclusive and comprehensive we are seeing political programming reduced.
“Politics Live has already been truncated – reduced from being a daily programme to a weekly one. Crucially, this format results in less opportunity for voices from Scotland. Until Ian Blackford’s brief appearance on July 8, the SNP had not been featured for over a month.”
Nicolson urged the BBC not to axe Politics Live but to “expand its remit to deliver a more complete UK-wide political picture”.
He said the show could be broadcast from Holyrood, the Senedd, and the Northern Ireland Assembly as well as Westminster “as a sign that the BBC can deliver on its much promised commitment to the nations and regions.”
His letter followed a cross-party missive co-ordinated by LibDem Daisy Cooper and signed by 106 MPs.
It said the programme played a “critical, daily role in holding the Government and politicians in Westminster to account”.
In a letter to the outgoing and incoming directors-general of the BBC, the group said: “The loss of this programme, particularly given the context of the coronavirus pandemic, would seriously harm the ability of the BBC to scrutinise and explain the consequences of policy announcements.
“Moreover, it is deeply concerning that the consequences of cutting this programme would see the loss of yet another show fronted by a woman at a time when the BBC should be doing more to promote diversity.”
A BBC source told The National: “It’s always heartening to know that politicians like and appreciate BBC programming.
“While the BBC is under acute financial pressure, a lot of what’s been suggested about our intentions isn’t correct.”
Last week the BBC announced they would be making 450 staff working on its regional programmes in England redundant as part of cost-cutting measures. It followed news that 150 jobs in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were also at risk.
The cuts all largely relate to the funding deal agreed by the outgoing BBC director general, Tony Hall, with the Tory government in 2015.
On Thursday, the public service broadcaster announced a new date for an end free TV licences for most over-75s, after the nove was delayed due to the coronavirus.
The Government has provided free licenses for pensioners since 2000, but responsibility for the provision was passed to the BBC as part of its last licence fee settlement.
The corporation said it was forced to make the cuts as the cost of continuing to provide free licences to all over-75s could have reached £1 billion a year. This means that from August more than three million households across the UK will be asked to start paying the £157.50 fee.
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