THE SNP have slated the planned privatisation of Channel 4 and vowed to "do all we can" to stop it from happening.
MP John Nicolson, the party's culture spokesperson, accused the UK Government of attacking the broadcaster's "innovative journalism".
The proposed move has sparked an enormous backlash from politicians, former C4 employees, and cultural icons, while the channel itself has said it is "disappointed" with the decision.
The UK Government, which currently owns the channel, has been consulting on whether to privatise the broadcaster following apparent concerns for its survival in the streaming era against the likes of Netflix and Amazon.
Nicolson (above) said on Twitter: "Channel 4 represents everything this tawdry UK Government hates. Innovative and diverse, its journalism is challenging - fearlessly tackling secrecy and corruption. We on the SNP benches will do all we can to resist this unjustifiable sell-off."
The channel was founded in 1982 to deliver for under-served audiences but although it is state-owned, it receives funding from advertising and not taxpayers.
Channel 4 represents everything this tawdry UK government hates. Innovative & diverse, its journalism is challenging - fearlessly tackling secrecy & corruption. We on the SNP benches will do all we can to resist this unjustifiable sell off. https://t.co/v2M9pMo0KN
— JOHN NICOLSON M.P. (@MrJohnNicolson) April 4, 2022
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries has been criticised for claiming the channel was in receipt of public money.
Apprearing on BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday, former C4 editor-at-large Dorothy Byrne said it "doesn't make sense" to take the channel out of public ownership and had doubts over whether the UK Government would make £1 billion out of it, as it has said it hopes to.
She said: "The Government has said it hopes to make £1bn. I'm really not sure it's going to make £1bn.
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"But it has also said it will use that money to invest in independent production companies. That's the bit that doesn't make sense.
"All of Channel 4's programmes are made by independent production companies, it doesn't make any of its own programmes. So if you wanted to support independent production companies you would invent Channel 4 and that's what Margaret Thatcher did.
"Nadine Dorries doesn't know much about broadcasting. Channel 4 is the biggest free-to-air digital service in this country and it is massively used by young people.
"It is changing and needs to keep changing but privatising it is not the way to help."
Satirist and writer Armando Iannucci also shared his anger at the news branding the decision as non-sensical.
He tweeted: "Why do they want to make the UK’s great TV industry worse? Why? It makes no business, economic or even patriotic sense."
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