Truss to order review into non-TV licence fee paying offence if elected

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Conservative Party leadership candidate, Liz Truss, has said she will order a review in to whether failing to pay the TV licence fee should be prosecuted as a criminal offence.

Currently watching TV or BBC iPlayer without paying the £159 annual fee can result in a £1000 fine and a court appearance, and jail if the fine is not paid.

Truss said she was concerned about the number of women being punished for this and if she were chosen as Prime Minister would look at “all options” to overhaul the licence fee system.

Nearly three quarters (74%) of 114,000 people convicted for dodging the licence fee in 2019 were female.