UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has said the government will move to place the BBC on a permanent Royal Charter, ending the current system under which the corporation’s constitutional basis must be renewed periodically.
Speaking at the Society of Editors conference in London on Tuesday, Nandy said the change was intended to “future-proof” the BBC. “So while the terms, the structures and the funding for the BBC will continue to be negotiated every several years, we should seek to end the bizarre situation where if the Charter isn’t agreed in time, the BBC ceases to exist,” she said.
The proposal marks a significant shift in the BBC charter review now under way. The current charter runs until the end of 2027, and the government opened its formal review in December 2025 through the green paper Britain’s Story: The Next Chapter, with consultation running until 10 March 2026.
n her speech, she linked the move to the need to protect the BBC in a more polarised public climate, saying the corporation had too often become a target in wider culture-war debates.
The move will be seen as a win for the BBC, which had itself called for a permanent charter as part of its response to the charter review. The broadcaster has argued that the 10-year renewal cycle creates instability and leaves it vulnerable to political pressure. Reports earlier this month also said the BBC wanted an end to political appointments to its board, although Nandy did not address that point directly in her speech.
Alongside the promise of longer-term constitutional security, Nandy also signalled that the government wants stronger accountability mechanisms inside the BBC, including commissioning power moving closer to the nations and regions and reforms aimed at giving staff a stronger voice in holding leadership to account.
