UK government considering sale of Channel Four

Britain is considering selling the Channel 4 public broadcaster as part of its drive to pay down debt, a government official has accidentally revealed.

An official was photographed on Thursday outside No 10 Downing Street, carrying a document which said the government was considering its options for Channel 4, which is publicly owned, but funded by advertising.

“In your recent meeting with Matt Hancock [Cabinet Office minister], you agreed that work should proceed to examine the options for extracting greater public value for the Channel 4 Corporation [C4C], focusing on privatisation options in particular,” the document, which was published on Twitter by a press photographer, says.