Baroness Buscombe

A senior Conservative has warned the debate on media ownership rules should not be "prejudiced" by concerns over the personalities involved.

In an interview with ePolitix.com, Tory media spokeswoman Baroness Buscombe said MPs and peers should not seek amendments to the government's Communications Bill based on fears of a possible Rupert Murdoch purchase of Channel 5.

Under government plans, it would be possible for the US-based media giant to purchase the fifth channel, a move that has prompted concern among some in the industry.

A key critic of some of the deregulation proposals, Labour peer Lord Puttnam, has proposed a compromise that would trigger a public interest test if a large media corporation wanted to take over Channel Five.

But Baroness Buscombe warned "value judgements" based on individuals should not play a part in the legislative process.

"I fear that some of the issues, such as the subject of foreign ownership, are being prejudiced by certain political personalities," she told this website.

"There are those in the Lords and in the Commons who are opposed to Rupert Murdoch's position within the media, for example.

"They are basing a value judgement on how they think the broadcasting industry should be managed and structured according to their dislike of Murdoch and that is not an appropriate mechanism to review an important legal issue."

Baroness Buscombe gave a general welcome to the principles behind the Bill, but warned that new regulatory authorities should exercise their powers "only where necessary".

"This light touch approach to regulation must be exercised by Ofcom; they must use their judgement to help drive the industry forward. Where appropriate, Ofcom should leave important issues such as ownership to the remit of the Competition Commission," she told ePolitix.com.

On the contentious issue of religious broadcasting, the Conservatives are also pushing for new freedoms to introduce church-based programming - a move linked to a wider belief in consumer choice.

"Consumers should have the freedom to choose what they watch. If the programmes that are broadcast are substandard the consumer will not watch them," said Baroness Buscombe.

"It is wrong to single out religious broadcasting and we have cross-party support on that."

There were also fears that peers might not be fully aware of the latest technology covered by the Bill they are passing.

"At times I am concerned that some of the issues debated in the House of Lords fail to consider the fantastic programme choice that we have today," the peer told ePolitix.com.

The party is also maintaining its criticism of the BBC, with Baroness Buscombe warning that the corporation "has done itself a great disservice by using self-promotion to chase ratings".

And with the Conservatives also complaining about the BBC's local election coverage, the spokeswoman said she would have more confidence in the handling of the complaint if it went through Ofcom rather than the corporation's Board of Governors.

"If the BBC were externally regulated by Ofcom it would be protected from accusations of partiality. This is not just a Conservative issue. It reaches across all parties however the Conservatives feel this bias more strongly."

Acknowledging that the BBC is making efforts to break down barriers to fair coverage, she asked: "If the Governors are ultimately responsible for editorial policy, how do they propose that they will remain independent to adjudicate complaints?"

Baroness Buscombe also hinted that the party would retain its previous manifesto commitment to privatise Channel 4.

"We are currently reviewing our broadcasting policy in light of the pending implementation of the Communications Bill. This Bill will encourage deregulation and convergence and our future policy will reflect this," she said.