PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
BBC as an institution of national importance (5 March 2020)

That this House recognises that the BBC is a national treasure, a public service the UK can be proud of, with world class programmes and services, that the public pay for; notes that whatever criticism there may be of the BBC’s news output, editorial decisions, governance, transparency, accountability and independence from government, public service broadcasting is a principle worth defending in its own right; further notes and condemns the Government’s recent briefing against the BBC, its threatened decriminalisation of the TV licence fee and the disastrous effect that that would have on UK public service broadcasting; notes the importance of the BBC for foreign diplomacy, the international respect it garners, and the global brand it offers in the context of the UK leaving the EU; is concerned about the rise of fake news, big data manipulation of democracies and other worrying technological trends that make it critical the UK public has access to a publicly accountable BBC that provides services which aim to inform, educate and build resilience to such dangerous trends; believes that the BBC positively influences the UK's media ecology through its high standards and investment in local, quality content; and further recognises the We Own It campaign backed by The New Weather Institute that calls for the BBC to stay a publicly-owned and funded public service broadcaster, a genuine and open process to make sure that the BBC has fair, sustainable funding for the long-term, and a BBC that enshrines greater transparency, accountability and independence to better serve the public in the 21st century.

Sponsored by:
Clive Lewis (Labour)