Protect the BBC

The broadcaster is a bulwark against the erosion of truth and deserves real independence

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In the US this month the Corporation for Public Broadcasting announced that it was closing down because of government cuts, with the loss of half a billion dollars a year for local public service broadcasters across America.

In the UK this weekend anti-immigration protests have been planned in at least a dozen cities, cheered on by a party - Reform UK - that would scrap the BBC licence fee if it came to power.

Reform and the Trump administration believe public service broadcasters are institutionally biased against the right. They aren’t perfect, but with good leadership these broadcasters can serve as a vital defence against abuse of power by government, against self-serving commercial control of the media and against the flood tide of online misinformation and conspiracism now being turbocharged by AI. BBC News in particular has an unmatched international reputation for serious public interest reporting. But its funding is at risk and its independence is not a given. It must be put beyond the reach of politics and politicians.