Johnson Threatening To Review Channel 4's Licence After Replacing Him With Ice Sculpture in Debate [View all]

[Denzil_DC]

Boris Johnson Is Threatening To Review Channel 4's Broadcasting Licence After They Replaced Him With An Ice Sculpture At Thursday's Debate

A Conservative source told BuzzFeed News that if they win the coming election they will reassess the channel’s public service broadcasting licence.
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In a dramatic escalation of the war of words between the Tories and Channel 4 that will likely provoke outcry, a Conservative source told BuzzFeed News that if they win the coming election they will reassess the channel’s public service broadcasting licence.

“If we are re-elected we will have to review Channel 4’s Public Services Broadcasting obligations,” the source said.

“Broadcasting organisations are rightly held to a higher standard — and particularly Channel 4 which has a special role enshrined in legislation. Any review would of course look at whether its remit should be better focused so it is serving the public in the best way possible.”

The inflammatory move came after Channel 4 said it would empty-chair the prime minister and Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage at its climate change leaders’ debate, after the two leaders declined to take part.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/alexwickham/boris-johnson-is-threatening-to-review-channel-4s

Johnson didn't turn up, claiming a "diary clash". Gove visited the debate venue asking to be included, but the other party leaders said that was unacceptable because he wasn't a party leader. There followed the worst sort of gaslighting as Gove claimed repeatedly that the Tories had been "excluded" from the debate.

Link to tweet

Michael Gove ✔
@michaelgove

Tonight I went to Channel 4 to talk about climate change but Jeremy Corbyn and Nicola Sturgeon refused to debate a Conservative #climatedebate

[Twitter video]

So if the courts displease this government in waiting, their role will be curtailed. If devolved administrations prove too awkward, their powers will be stripped, and if a broadcaster doesn't do their bidding, then it faces the chop.

I think there's a word for this style of government, but I can't quite place it.