BBC Radios 1 and 2 could be privatised under a future Conservative government, shadow media secretary Tim Yeo claimed this week, writes Leigh Holmwood.
Yeo, who took over the role after the election of Iain Duncan-Smith as Tory leader in September, told Broadcast the popular music stations were not 'an essential part of public service broadcasting' and that their functions could be done better in the private sector.

'They could be privatised,' he stated. 'There does need to be a pretty hard look at who does provide that sort of programming.'

Yeo, who admitted listening to R2 himself, said any such move would be subjected to economic tests, including whether privatisation would take too much advertising away from other stations.

He added he was already rethinking much of the Tories' previous policies on broadcasting, including their controversial call at the last election for Channel 4 to be privatised. 'We are having a fresh think on C4 at this stage,' he said.

Yeo also claimed the new vice-chairman of the BBC did not necessarily have to be a Conservative, despite calls from other party members that they should be to give political balance to the top of the corporation.

Chairman Gavyn Davies is a Labour supporter.