Culture Secretary defends government’s role in Channel 4’s future
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said yesterday that no decision has been made about the future of Channel 4, but defends ministers reviewing whether to privatise, stating it was “absolutely right and proper”.
“It is our responsibility to evaluate whether taxpayers are getting value for money and whether it is sustainable in the future”, Dorries said in her in front of the DCMS committee yesterday afternoon.
She insisted no decision had been made, saying “we are evaluating the future at Channel 4, and whether it is a sustainable model”.
Dorries also appreciated that any decision would need to be a UK-wide one: “It’s not just about London. It’s about 60 million people, not six million people.”
It comes as industry and members of the public question the government’s suitability to be deciding the future of a company so intrinsically linked to the British TV culture.
Ofcom
On other DCMS matters, the Culture Secretary rejected suggestions that the search for a new chairman of Ofcom has been a “disaster”.
Despite an interview panel deeming ex-Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre “not appointable” in May this year, ministers allegedly pushed to appoint him to the senior role at the UK’s media regulator.
The government were criticised when it decided to rerun the recruitment process with a different interview panel, and adjusted the role requirements.
“In the department we have over 500 appointments and reappointments and it’s fully to be expected that certain appointments do attract a lot of attention and are not always as straightforward as we would like to be but I don’t think it’s been a disaster.”
She added the selection has been run “fully in accordance with the governance code”.
The process continues to run, thereby making it “inappropriate” to discuss in extensive detail.
Snowflakes
Dorries has spoken widely about “lefties” who have ridiculed and politically attacked her in the past, especially regarding her new appointment in the Cabinet. The committee challenged her on what this term meant.
Whilst she said she may have used it in the past, “I certainly have never used it as Secretary of State”, she laughed.
In terms of how she would define a ‘snowflake’ leftie, she replied with a wry smile: “Probably my kids!”