Row 'raises licence fee questions'

My Account
Logout

Create an Evening Standard Account

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Welcome! Sign in here

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Forgot your password ?

Registration

* indicates fields that are mandatory

Email *

Password *

Confirm Password *

First name *

Surname *

Postcode *

Country *

Mobile phone number

Username *

Gender *

Year of birth *

When you sign up...

You will have access to all our online competitions, discounted offers and can post comments on our site.

You will also receive The Weekender newsletter sent every Thursday - it’s full of fantastic offers and ideas for the weekend. You can update your email preferences in your account page when you log in.

Other newsletters and emails

Homes & Property Newsletter - Yes I want to receive the weekly email with all the latest news on property in the capital

Occasionally we would also like to send you relevant emails detailing specific offers either from ourselves or carefully selected partners. If you would prefer not to receive these then please tick the appropriate boxes below. We will never pass on your details.

I do not want to receive additional offers and information from the Evening Standard

I do not want to receive additional offers and information sent by Evening Standard on behalf of carefully selected partners

Terms and Conditions

* I have read, understood and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of Evening Standard

Registration

Mail Sent for Registration Confirmation.

A confirmation email has been sent. Please activate your account by clicking on the activation link sent in your mail box.

Mr Hunt said the corporation should "stop behaving like a commercial channel" and senior managers would have to take responsibility if investigations identify personal failures on their part.

BBC director-general Mark Thompson suspended all phone-in competitions last week after discovering a host of editorial breaches involving shows such as Children In Need and Comic Relief.

The revelations came in the wake of the row over a BBC1 trailer edited to imply the Queen had stormed out of a sitting with photographer Annie Leibovitz.

Mr Hunt told ITV1's The Sunday Programme: "I think we need to see the results of the independent inquiry that's happening now and also the BBC's internal inquiry. I think it's very important that people do take responsibility for what's gone wrong: if we find that the failings are at a senior management level then yes, senior management should take responsibility as well.

Asked if the revelations made it harder for the BBC to justify the licence fee he replied: "If they don't sort this out very quickly then yes. We will, in the next few years, be going back in to the debate about whether the licence fee can be justified.

"There are voices that say that in a multi-platform, multi-channel age the BBC should be a subscription service, and you should be able to opt in to not be forced to pay the licence fee.

"The justification of the licence fee is that the BBC does things that the market alone won't provide."

"So I think the lesson from this is the BBC has got to stop behaving like a commercial channel and it's got to start behaving like the gold-standard that we all want the BBC to be."

"I think it will affect the debate over the licence fee if they are not able to restore trust very very quickly."