'We are sunk' Ex-Bake Off star Sue Perkins blasts government over Channel 4 privatisation

express.co.uk:

Channel 4 by the government.The comedian's tweet comes after the Government has pushed ahead with the privatisation of the channel despite the broadcaster urging to keep it under public ownership.In view of her 1.2 million followers, the star shared her thoughts on the move.Sue wrote: "A government that talks about celebrating British achievements in the same breath as selling them off to foreign investors."We are sunk."The channel will reportedly be sold off by the Government for at least £1billion in the biggest privatisation in nine years - since the Royal Mail went private.The move risks the channel falling into the hands of streaming platforms such as Netflix or Amazon Prime.The new flagship Media Bill, set to be discussed in the Queen's speech next month, will enable ministers to sell the channel ahead of the next election.It comes after a series of clashes between the Tories and Channel 4 ahead of the 2019 election.In the same year, Dorothy Byrne - Channel 4's boss - branded Boris Johnson a "known liar" and "coward" and compared him to Russian President Vladimir Putin during a conversation at a TV festival.Similarly, Channel 4's former lead presenter Jon Snow was filmed screaming "f*** the Toris" at Glastonbury in 2017.The proceeds of the sale are expected to be earmarked for levelling up funds by “putting money into independent production and wider creative skills in priority parts of the country".Responding to the announcement that the move was going ahead, a spokesperson for Channel 4 said: "With over 60,000 submissions to the government's public consultation, it is disappointing that today's announcement has been made without formally recognising the significant public interest concerns which have been.