During a Reform UK rally in North West Essex this evening, Ashfield MP Lee Anderson ripped into the TV Licence fee, as he said he continues to refuse to pay a “single penny” despite threats of legal action.
Speaking in front of 400 members, he claimed: “Last year at national conference I ripped up my TV licence reminder on stage, well I’ve not got another reminder to rip up tonight but I’ll tell you this.
“The bully boys have been round again, they’ve got red letters, they are threatening legal action if I don’t pay my licence fee.”
However, he pledged not to pay “one single penny” to the publicly-funded corporation.
Nigel Farage’s party has previously pledged to scrap the fee as part of Reform UK’s ‘contract’ with voters.
Last year, the party leader said: “The out-of-touch wasteful BBC is institutionally biased. The TV licence is taxation without representation. We will scrap it. In a world of on-demand TV, people should be free to choose.”
Those who watch live TV or use BBC iPlayer are required to pay the licence fee of £169.50 a year. However, this figure usually rises annually with inflation.
The Reform MP’s statement comes after reports this week of Sir Keir Starmer allegedly considering making people pay the TV licence fee even if they only use streaming services.
Households are required to pay the TV licence if they watch live TV or use the BBC iPlayer.
But even those who only use streaming services, such as Netflix, may still be subject to the yearly charge under Labour’s plans reported by Bloomberg.
Reform MP Rupert Lowe responded to this online, slamming the government for reportedly considering extending the TV licence fee.
The MP for Great Yarmouth wrote on the social media platform X: “The BBC licence fee shouldn’t be extended to streaming services, it should be entirely scrapped.
“Force the organisation to stand on its own two feet – it would collapse within a week.
“When we win the next election, the BBC will be immediately defunded. It will be glorious!”
