We call on Parliament to introduce legislation that protects the mandatory BBC licence fee revenue from being used to pay settlements or damages in non-UK-based civil lawsuits, thereby ring-fencing public funds for public service broadcasting.

The BBC licence fee is a mandatory fee and essential for public broadcasting. Payouts from high-value, foreign lawsuits could divert funds from core services. We believe this exposes the BBC to high-cost legal threats from wealthy, foreign-based entities, risking the depletion of public resource, and could undermine the UK's essential freedom of the press and the BBC's editorial independence. We request Parliament legislate a clear financial firewall.