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Ministers and Dominic Cummings don’t want a better BBC but a weaker one. It is time to stand up and be counted
Boris Johnson’s government has had a chaotic and slovenly record during the pandemic, during which public approval of its mishandlings has often slumped to low levels. The BBC, by contrast, has mostly seen its audiences grow and its reputation strengthen, though those numbers have now returned to more normal, but still good, levels. On the face of things, this would therefore not seem a particularly well-chosen moment for the Conservatives to go into battle against the nation’s generally trusted public broadcaster.
This, though, is to underestimate the government’s determination to do damage to the BBC. It also misunderstands the eagerness of Mr Johnson and his chief adviser, Dominic Cummings, to fight culture wars, especially when their own incompetence means things are going badly elsewhere. No prime minister since Margaret Thatcher has harboured such a visceral and opportunistic animosity towards the corporation as the current incumbent. Continue reading...