Ministers face Tory backlash after abandoning plans to sell Channel 4

MINISTERS faced a backlash yesterday for abandoning Channel 4 sale plans.

Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan has written to Rishi Sunak recommending they drop the privatisation launched under Boris Johnson.

She wrote: “After reviewing the business case, I have concluded that pursuing a sale at this point is not the right decision and there are better ways to secure C4’s sustainability”.

She added the UK’s £3billion production sector would be “very disrupted by a sale at a time when growth and economic stability are our priorities”.

Further details of the Government’s plans for Channel 4 — leaked to Global media company — will be announced imminently.

But Ms Donelan’s decision angered her predecessor Nadine Dorries, architect of the sale plan.

Mrs Dorries tweeted it would “now be almost impossible” for voters to trust Tory promises.

But senior Tory MP Simon Hoare said: “A welcome and excellent recommendation by Michelle Donelan. If it ain’t broke; don’t fix it!”

Channel 4 is owned by the Government but entirely funded by advertising.