When asked whether he would abolish all TV licences, Johnson said that as he’s in the late stage of the election campaign, he can’t make “unfunded spending commitments like that”.

However he went on to say: “At this stage, we are not planning to get rid of all TV licences, though I’m certainly looking at it.

“You have to ask yourself whether that kind of approach to funding a TV media organisation still makes sense in the long-term given the way other organisations manage to fund themselves.

“The system of funding by way of a general tax bears reflection. How long can you justify a system whereby everybody who has a TV has to pay to fund a particular set of TV and radio channels?”.

Johnson also said the BBC should “cough up and pay for TV licences for the over 75s as they promised to do”.

Earlier this year, the BBC said it is scrapping free TV licences for all over 75s – a scheme which is funded by the government – from June 2020.

The move would see three million people affected, though those over 75s who receive pension credit will still be eligible for a free licence.