BBC boss hits out at ‘shortsighted’ Tory budget cuts

Tim Davie says 14 years of reductions has put its future at risk, as he announces £200m of cuts

Cuts to the BBC’s budget by successive Conservative governments have been “shortsighted” and risked undermining its future, the director general said in a speech on Tuesday.

Announcing a further £200m of cuts to the corporation, Tim Davie said 14 years of cuts have reduced its budget by 30% in real terms and had “chipped away at our income over many years and have put serious pressure on our finances”.