BBC facing backlash amid speculation that Politics Live will be axed
The BBC is facing a backlash over reports that it is to axe Politics Live, its only daytime politics television programme.
The future of the BBC2 show is hanging in the balance amid speculation that it could be taken off the air completely as part of BBC cuts.
The former Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt is among a host of MPs planning to complain to the corporation.
The programme, presented by Jo Coburn and featuring four panellists from across the political spectrum, returned on June 10 and is now broadcast every Wednesday at 11.15am to coincide with Prime Minister's Questions.
However, insiders say BBC bosses are refusing to commit to bringing it back as a daily show after the summer recess.
"Since the show was relaunched 18 months ago, it has added more than 30 per cent to its audience," said a source. "It regularly hit 600,000 viewers at the height of Brexit, which is staggering for a daytime BBC2 show.
"At a time when impartiality is meant to be at the heart of everything the BBC wants to do, it seems very odd for management not to be supporting the one politics programme that offers diversity of opinion."
Mr Hunt said: "Without proper politics in the daytime schedule, we risk getting the same mush of lifestyle progammes available on commercial channels instead of the distinctiveness we are supposed to be paying for with the licence fee."
The move comes after the BBC announced last week that it was planning to cut 450 jobs in its English regional news output. The cuts are expected to save £25 million by 2022, and follow news of job losses in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The BBC has previously said it must save £125 million this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
In an interview with the Radio Times on Tuesday, Andrew Neil, who presented Thursday's edition of Politics Live along with his own eponymous BBC show, claimed he was becoming "surplus to requirements".
"There's no clarity at the moment, so I'm just waiting for the BBC to make up its mind," he said.
A BBC spokesman said: "The Covid-19 outbreak meant we streamlined our operations and suspended some programmes to keep a continuous news service on air, but we are gradually introducing more content and will set out further details soon."
A corporation source added: "Of course BBC News needs to make savings, but some of the recent speculation about changes to our political programmes has been way off the mark so people should wait to hear what we have to say."
