UK ministers ‘too scared of Donald Trump' to back levy on TV streaming giants
Peter Kosminsky said a 'supine and terrified' government was worried about anything that might upset the 'bully in the White House'.
He said programmes that spoke truth to power were needed amid global tensions and political division. However, he said important UK dramas were 'under threat as never before', with the BBC and ITV struggling to fund shows and cautious about productions that did not appeal to audiences outside Britain.
Kosminsky is calling for a 5% levy on streaming companies – to be spent on UK-focused television – and said a similar surcharge had been adopted by 17 other countries.
But he accused UK ministers of being afraid to follow suit because of the US president's threat to impose huge tariffs on films made outside the US.
'We're running scared of Donald Trump and his tariffs,' he said in a speech last week, reproduced in Radio Times.
'The government is so supine and terrified that it's not prepared to run the risk of upsetting Trump and the delicate trading relationship that they've fought so hard – and grovelled so intensely – to achieve.'
Kosminsky said ministers could still be pressured into changing course because they were 'terrified of swings in public support'.
He added: 'If you care about public service broadcasting, if you care about the BBC, ITV and Channel 4, I would beg you – get out there and campaign for the government to stand up to the bully in the White House and protect the 100-year tradition of public service broadcasting in this country, of which we are rightly proud, before it is lost for ever.'
His speech follows warnings from other television figures, including Elisabeth Murdoch, that UK stories could be lost from the small screen as producers and broadcasters turn to shows they can sell internationally, most notably in the US.
Kosminsky said the overall effect had been to ensure shows such as Three Girls, a drama about the Rochdale child sexual abuse scandal, or Mr Bates vs the Post Office, which brought a huge miscarriage of justice to wider public attention, would not be made in today's market.
He said Wolf Hall was turned down by streamers and that senior figures behind the historical drama had voluntarily given up payments.
His demand for a 5% levy on companies such as Netflix and Amazon Prime has split the television industry. Other senior figures are pushing for a significant increase in the tax relief, which they say would ensure more shows are economically viable.
A spokesperson for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said: 'As the creative industries minister, Sir Chris Bryant, told the culture, media and sport select committee in January, the government has no plans to introduce a levy on streaming services.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Spectator
26 minutes ago
- Spectator
What Trump gets right about Britain's windfarms
Donald Trump is often treated in Britain as a know-nothing who speaks off the top of his head on subjects he does not understand. No one is keener to try to make this point than the BBC. Yet not for the first time, it turns out that he is bit more on the ball than some of his critics. After his game of golf at his Turnberry course in Ayrshire, western Scotland on Sunday, the president retorted: 'It's probably the best course in the world. And I look over the horizon and I see nine windmills at the end of the 18th. I said: 'Isn't that a shame?''. It was enough to provoke the BBC into providing what it saw as an explainer. Scottish environmental correspondent Kevin Keane was especially excited by Trump's comment suggesting that Britain 'get rid of the windmills and bring back the oil'. Protesting, somewhat pedantically, that there are no 'windmills' in the sea off Britain, just wind turbines which generate electricity rather than mill corn, Keane went on to assert that it isn't possible to 'bring back the oil' because North Sea oil in running out and will decline even were it not for the UK government's refusal to issue licenses for oil and gas extraction there. There are, in fact, several oil and gas companies which are very keen to invest in new exploration – but the government has made their lives near impossible. Not only has the search for new oil and gas fields there been effectively banned, but companies exploiting established fields are subject to a 'windfall' tax which increases the effective levies on their operations to nearly 80 per cent. The extra tax was introduced by the previous government in 2022 when there really were windfalls being made owing to high global prices following the end of the Covid pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Yet the tax has lived on in spite of prices falling back a long way. The BBC also ignores the potential for shale gas in Britain – a putative industry which has since been banned by the present and the previous governments. Various estimates have put the amount of shale gas available beneath Britain to be equivalent to between 10 and 50 years' current usage. That certainly could be a growing industry – if only it were allowed. Britain's energy sector, asserts the BBC, 'needs wind…to replace the jobs which are already being lost in oil and gas'. That overlooks two problems with the UK's wind industry. Firstly, it has been pretty feeble at creating jobs. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) the UK has 0.3 per cent of global jobs in renewable energy – yet it has one per cent of the Earth's population and has set itself tougher 'net zero' targets than all but a handful of other countries. Why hasn't it landed more jobs? One important factor is that Britain has the highest industrial energy prices in the world – thanks in large part to net zero targets, carbon levies and so on. It is just so much cheaper to produce wind turbines – and other manufactured goods – in China, where 60 percent of electricity generation still comes from cheap coal. Secondly, Britain does not have the grid infrastructure to support the large number of turbines which have been built in and around Scotland in recent years. On windy days, turbines there often have to be switched off because the transmission wires cannot cope. When this happens, owners of wind farms receive generous compensation in the form of what are known as 'constraint payments' – which cost energy consumers £1.5 billion last year. The wind farms which Trump feels are spoiling the view from his Scottish golf courses are not just unsightly – they are costing UK consumers a fortune and struggling to keep the lights on.
Auto Express
26 minutes ago
- Auto Express
EV grants: Call me crazy, but I reckon the government's got a plan…
The reintroduction of EV grants is great – a definite step in the right direction and exactly what the automotive industry has been crying out for. But the confusion around who or what might be eligible has sparked knee-jerk reactions from manufacturers not prepared to see sales stall while we all wait for answers. Advertisement - Article continues below Was this the government's plan all along? Announce a murky idea with an intriguing headline, delay the start and any clarification, and wait for the world and his dog to drop prices and make electric cars more affordable? Let them do the hard work so Sir Keir and his cabinet don't have to? Mission accomplished. In a hurry to buy an EV? Our Find a Car service has a host of deals on new electric cars available to buyers now, or alternatively check out our great used electric car prices. Consumers have longed for ICE and electric-car price parity since the days of the original Nissan Leaf, and in recent years the government has flat-out refused to help. But now, with what cynics might describe as some clever manipulation, it has made it look like it has the interests of the industry in its sights while, in effect, forcing the hand of those who feed it. A scheme quite obviously targeted at supporting the UK and European electric-car industry – or, as the mischievous might suggest, actively designed to throttle Chinese and Korean disruptors – has been so badly initiated that even brands from France (Renault) and Italy (Alfa Romeo) have jumped to cut prices. Think that the likes of MG, Leapmotor and Kia have done the same is merely coincidental? I'm not so sure, Whatever the ultimate aim of this scheme, interested parties are able to buy an EV for less than they could 10 days ago. Trouble is, that same EV might be more affordable still come 11 August. Find a car with the experts Hyundai reduces prices across its entire EV range Hyundai reduces prices across its entire EV range Korean brand acts swiftly to cut prices on all its electric cars, amid confusion over Government's grant scheme Congestion Charge EV exemption removal to generate over £75million per year Congestion Charge EV exemption removal to generate over £75million per year TfL is planning to raise the Congestion Charge to £18, and EV drivers will have to pay too Dacia's baby EV due in 12 months with a tiny £15k price tag Dacia's baby EV due in 12 months with a tiny £15k price tag Dacia's new model will be developed in double-quick time, and it'll be built in Europe to avoid China tariffs
Daily Record
26 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Helen Skelton and Gethin Jones split as he returns to dating app 'keen to meet other women'
Helen Skelton and Gethin Jones have 'ended their rumoured romance' after the former Blue Peter presenter was 'spotted on a popular dating app' Gethin Jones and Helen Skelton appear to have called it 'quits' on their rumoured romance, as Gethin has reportedly returned to a dating app. The popular BBC presenters have shared a close friendship for some time, which was believed to have blossomed into something more after they were seen leaving the BAFTAs together in May. While they never officially confirmed a relationship, the pair had been spotted spending time together away from work, including a recent spa day at a country club. But it seems the brief romance has fizzled out as Gethin has reportedly been spotted on celebrity app Raya while he enjoys a trip to Australia, where he's been watching the British and Irish Lions' tour with a group of mates, the Mirror reports. It comes days after a further hint that things were heating up between the pair when Gethin, 47, took to his Instagram stories to publicly wish Helen happy birthday as she turned 42 earlier this month. "Gethin is on the prowl Down Under which puts the nail in the coffin for his romance with Helen," a source told Mail Online. "He's there with pals but keen to meet other women. "There is no way Helen would stand for that if they were together and he has far too much respect for her to even go behind her back. Despite having an increasingly close connection it's cooled down significantly which is gutting for fans who really wanted them to be together." The pair have both endured heartbreak in recent years. Gethin's engagement to Katherine Jenkins was called off in 2011 and he's experienced a series of short relationships since. Meanwhile Helen separated from ex-husband Richie Myler - with whom she shares three children - back in 2022. Helen and Leeds Rhinos rugby player Richie, 35, had been married for eight years and had just welcomed their third child, Elsie, when they parted ways. He now has two more children with Stephanie Thirkhill, also 35, whose millionaire father Andrew Thirkill is the president of Richie's rugby club. Shocking her followers at the time, Helen revealed the devastating news of her split on Instagram as she shared: "Very sad to say that Richie and I are no longer a couple. He has left the family home. We will be doing our best to co-parent our small children." While writing her 2023 autobiography, In My Stride, Helen opened up about the heartbreak of her unexpected separation. She shared candid reflections on the emotional toll it took, admitting that the breakup came as a shock and wasn't something she had ever seen coming. She penned: "I was in shock. I know that following break-ups, people often say they didn't see it coming and it sounds like a cliché, but that was me."
