Corporation bosses will be dismayed by the figures which show there were 25,805,141 active licences in November 2018 but25,606,957 in the same month a year later – a fall of 198,184. The data seen by the Daily Mail comes as the broadcaster is bracing itself for a tense battle over its future

I’m not sure this vendetta against the BBC is going to end well

Huw Merriman

Reports at the weekend suggested Downing Street planned major reform of the BBC including selling off most of its radio stations – including Radio 1 and Radio 2 – cutting the number of television stations, reducing online content and making other services pay-per-view.

The claims have been played down by ministers who said there were no “preordained” decisions on future funding models.

But some Conservative MPs have warned Number 10 against going to war with the Beeb.

Former Home Office minister Damian Green said “destroying the BBC wasn’t in our manifesto and would be cultural vandalism”, and asked if the Conservatives really planned to fight the next election on a promise to shut down Radio 2.

Fellow Tory MP Huw Merriman said: “I’m not sure this vendetta against the BBC is going to end well.”

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Mr Merriman said the Tories should not pick “a potentially unpopular fight” with the BBC and warned the corporation “should not be a target”.

Mr Merriman, chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on the BBC, wrote “it feels as if senior government aides are now ramping up an unedifying vendetta against this much-admired corporation.

“This culminated in a bizarre promise this weekend to ‘whack’ the BBC with a suggestion it should ‘be slimmed down and put on subscription’.”

Damian Collins, former chairman of the culture select committee, said that the plans would “smash” the BBC, and damage the UK’s nations and regions.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told Sky News the Government had not made any “preordained” decisions on future funding models.

He said: “I would be pretty cautious of some unattributed comments.

“There is a consultation out there. It is just a consultation at this stage. There are no further decisions made at all. The BBC is a much loved national treasure.

“We all want it to be a huge success. But everybody, including the BBC themselves, recognises that in a changing world the BBC will have to change.”

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A BBC spokesman said: “The BBC reaches millions of people every day.

“The public back it and they will undoubtedly have their own views about the future.”

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