The cost of the annual television licence fee is set to increase from £154.50 to £157.50, the BBC announced last week. The price hike will come into effect on April 1, and will also see the cost of an annual black and white licence rise from £52.00 to £53.00. This comes days after the company announced plans to take the axe to 450 jobs across its organisation to save £80million and after receiving several accusations of “Remainer bias”.

Tory sources were reportedly furious at the BBC’s handling of Brexit day, claiming it showed an in-built left-wing bias among the corporation’s senior managers against Brexit.

One senior Conservative source said: “Only the BBC could have a special programme on Brexit where the studio is emblazoned with EU colours, they refuse to run the Prime Minister’s address, get to Brexit 15 mins in then go to Farage, Widdecombe and a load of Remainers.”

There was also anger at what Brexit supporters claim was the disparaging way the BBC portrayed the celebrations in Parliament Square, accusing the broadcaster of underplaying the size of the crowds.

As the public outcry continues, Lord David Owen told Express.co.uk what the BBC should do in order to get rid of its London-based elite and stop the “unconscious bias” towards Brexit.

The former Labour Foreign Secretary and SDP leader said: “It was the elite of the people who have found it difficult to come to terms with the result of the referendum.

“It was the elite of the people who have tried to buck the referendum.

“And it is the elite who will possibly move everything back to normal.”

The Brexiteer added: “It is the question we had about the BBC moving to Salford.

“I think it was a very good thing the BBC went to Salford.

“But maybe they sent people who were ridiculous to send because they immediately brought them back to London.

“Lots of BBC changes have been driven out of them and therefore not always done in the best interest.”

However, when pushed on what would make the broadcaster more reflective of wider society, Lord Owen replied: “The evolution, the steady movement of the BBC, out into the periphery, with more people gaining experience of all different parts of the UK.

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“And coming back to the central spokesman on the big news programmes like Tonight and Breakfast Today and others – with that experience, it would be a very, very good thing for Brexit and the BBC.

“Also, they should have accents.

“They don’t have to be dramatically regional accents, but a sort of feel for it.”

Moreover, the SDP leader added that it is not just the BBC that is not representative of the UK.

He said: “The House of Commons is nowhere near as representative from when I first went into it.

“When I came in, these north-east safe Labour seats had leaders or people who had lived there or were born there.

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“Now, there is a whole group of them who have absolutely no link with the north-east at all.

“They are just placed there.

“The Americans have an expression for that – it is carpet bagging.”

Lord Owen noted that of course there should be exceptions but also made clear clear that a political party should be absolutely “geared in to serve the people they represent”.

He explained: “It is not easy to do that if you have got no former links with the constituency.

“The geographical representation in the House of Commons has been very seriously reduced.

“That should come back and then I think it will come a less of a London based elite.”

Lord Owen’s comments came at an event organised by the London Grill Club last week.

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