Channel 4: Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan advises PM against privatisation

Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan has advised against the privatisation of Channel 4 successful a missive to the premier curate that has leaked online.

In the letter, obtained by the News Agents podcast, Ms Donelan said determination were "better ways to guarantee Channel 4's sustainability" than privatisation.

Her predecessor Nadine Dorries planned to merchantability the government-owned channel.

But Ms Donelan wrote: "I person concluded that pursuing a merchantability astatine this constituent is not the close decision."

A spokesperson for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) did not corroborate the U-turn. "We bash not remark connected speculation," they said.

"The DCMS Secretary of State has been wide that we are looking again astatine the concern lawsuit for the merchantability of Channel 4. We volition denote much connected our plans successful owed course."

In September, the civilization caput said she would "re-examine the concern case" for privatisation.

Ms Donelan's proposal to scrap the program was made successful a missive addressed to the premier minister, which was obtained by The News Agents' Lewis Goodall.

In it, she wrote: "After reviewing the concern case, I person concluded that pursuing a merchantability astatine this constituent is not the close determination and determination are amended ways to unafraid C4C's (Channel 4 Corporation) sustainability and that of the autarkic accumulation sector."

She added that its relation successful supporting the autarkic accumulation assemblage "would beryllium precise disrupted by a merchantability astatine a clip erstwhile maturation and economical stableness are our priorities".