SHIPLEY MP Philip Davies has been re-elected to the House of Common’s powerful Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Mr Davies was a member of the committee from 2006 to 2015 but chose to stand for re-election to hold the BBC to account over its “outrageous” scrapping of TV licences for the over 75s.

Mr Davies said: “I have long been a critic of the BBC and the fact it pays its presenters eye watering salaries, including Gary Lineker who it pays about £1.75 million to present a programme people would watch anyway even if it did not have a presenter.

“The fact it thinks nothing of paying such ridiculous salaries and yet it is going to stop free TV licences for over 75s is absolutely disgusting, and I have raised this issue with ministers in the department.

“By returning to the committee I will be better able to raise it first-hand with BBC bosses. There is no justification for this and they will know in no uncertain terms what I think of this.

“It is bad enough anyone is made to pay this licence fee but to take it away from my older constituents in this way is disgusting.”

Mr Davies has previously claimed the BBC favour men with high salaries, and accused them of potentially acting illegally over their paying of women with lower salaries.

Mr Davies said that from 2020 anyone over 75 will have to pay the £154.50 annual fee to watch television, except for those over 75 where one person is on pension credit.