Theresa May shamelessly tried to blame the BBC today as worried pensioners fear being stripped of their free TV licences.

The Prime Minister attempted to swerve responsibility for looming cuts or curbs to the vital lifeline – and instead lashed out at screen stars’ pay.

Currently all households with someone aged 75 or over are entitled to a free licence, worth £150.50.

The Conservatives pledged at the 2017 election to maintain the benefit for the length of this Parliament, due to run until 2022.

But OAPs face being denied the benefit after the Tories stitched up a deal in 2015 to make the corporation responsible for funding the £745million-a-year perk from June 2020.

A 12-week BBC consultation on who should be eligible for the perk closed this week having outlined four options.

They included scrapping free licences altogether, replacing them with a 50% concession for all over-75s, lifting the threshold for eligibility to 77 or 80, or means-testing so those who get pension credits are able to claim the benefit.

A decision is expected over the summer.

Tackling Mrs May at Prime Minister’s Questions today, Labour MP Rosie Cooper told the Commons: “Despite your party’s manifesto promise, nearly 7,000 pensioner households in my West Lancashire constituency could lose their free TV licences.

“Often that is their only source of company.

“Is the Government going to keep their manifesto promise by taking back the responsibility they have outsourced to the BBC to ensure older people keep their free TV licences?”

The PM claimed: “Obviously I recognise the value that people across the country place on having a television and, for many elderly people, obviously the connection that brings with the world.

“That’s why the free licences for the over-75s are so important.

“We have been clear we want and expect the BBC to continue free licences when they take over responsibility for the concession in 2020.

“I think taxpayers rightly want to see the BBC using its substantial licence free income in an appropriate way to ensure it delivers fully for UK audiences.”

Her spokesman later echoed the Conservative leader’s call for the corporation to use its licence fee money “in an appropriate way”, adding: “This includes showing restraint on salaries for their senior staff.”

Age UK campaigners this week delivered to the BBC more than 6,000 demands to save free TV licences.

Nearly 75,000 people have signed the charity’s petition urging for the benefit to be retained.

More than 8,000 readers have backed the Mirror’s fight to save free TV licences, completing coupons in the paper.

Pressure is building ahead of a demonstration organised by the National Pensioners’ Convention outside the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on March 7.

Great-gran Maureen Childs, 80, a retired teacher, said: “There are a lot of older people that would struggle because they are managing on state pensions and have come to rely on free licences.

“Something has got to be done about the austerity cuts because they have a knock-on effect on everything.

“The Government should definitely carry on funding it.”

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