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Free TV licences for most people aged over 75 were due to end on June 1 to save the BBC around £700million a year.  Only low-income households where one person receives pension credit would still be eligible for the benefit under the move. But as the coronavirus outbreak spread in March, the corporation announced a two-month stay-of-execution until August 1.

Mr Dowden, speaking at the daily Downing Street coronavirus briefing last night, said the BBC should extend the deadline again if lockdown measures were expected to continue throughout the summer.

“We’ve been clear all along that we didn’t want the BBC to take away the free TV licence from the over 75s,” the Cabinet minister said.

He added: “I think the BBC made absolutely the right decision in the middle of this coronavirus crisis when particularly older people are being asked to self isolate and are feeling lonely, often the TV is a lifeline for them. 

“It wouldn’t have been acceptable to take away that free TV licence which is why they rightly extended the proposal for removing it to the beginning of August. 

“I very much hope that if we are in a similar situation come the beginning of August the BBC will show similar flexibility again.”

Free TV licences for the over-75s were provided by the Government from 200 but responsibility passed to the BBC in 2017 as part of its last licence fee settlement.

An outcry erupted when the broadcaster announced the end of the scheme for most over 75s in 2019. Boris Johnson has repeatedly urged the corporation to reverse the decision.

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