Cherie Blair has highlighted ‘absurd’ figures showing that one third of all female criminal convictions in the UK are for not paying the TV licence fee.
The human rights lawyer also claimed fewer women should be jailed in general because it causes ‘irreparable’ harm with a disproportionate effect on families.
Ministry of Justice data from 2012 until 2016 showed between 29 and 31 per cent of all convictions for women each year within that period were for licence fee evasion.
However, this fell gradually over the following years to 25 per cent by 2019, then slipped further to 18 per cent in 2020 and now stands at 10 per cent for 2023.
But one figure that has not changed so much over time is the proportion of women convicted for licence fee offences compared to men – which was 71 per cent women in 2016, and 74 per cent women in 2023.
Mrs Blair told the Times Crime and Justice Commission: ‘When you think that a third of all female convictions are for not paying their TV licence … it’s absurd.
‘The cost of those women’s places in prison, the impact on their children, the fact that they’ll probably lose their accommodation. I mean what is the sense in that?
‘There is absolutely no sense in it whatsoever… I think, really, the solution is not to send so many women to prison. And it’s honestly as simple as that.’
Someone found guilty of licence fee evasion in a magistrates’ court in England and Wales will face a maximum fine of up to £1,000, prosecution costs of £120 and a victim surcharge of 40 per cent of the fine.
While nearly 1,000 people a week are prosecuted for licence fee evasion, no one can be sent to prison for the offence – although they could be jailed for failing to pay the resulting fine.
The last year in which MoJ data showed licence fee evasion accounted for nearly a third of women’s convictions was 2015, when it stood at 31 per cent.
In that year, there were 117,670 convictions for licence fee evasion for women out of a total 378,873 convictions for women across all offences.
There was a total of 166,748 convictions for licence fee evasion across both sexes. This meant women made up 71 per cent of the convictions, and men 29 per cent.
Looking at 2023, there were 22,817 convictions for licence fee evasion, which was 10 per cent of the total 234,615 convictions for women across all offences.
But the high proportion of women being convicted for the offence compared to men remains – with 74 per cent women for the latest year.
The figures have also previously been discussed by former prime minister Liz Truss, who spoke about the subject during the Conservative party leadership contest in 2022.
She said at the time: ‘What I’m very concerned about on the TV licence fee is how many women have ended up in prison for non-payment, a disproportionate number.’
However, it was later pointed out that no one can be imprisoned for failing to pay the licence.
Mrs Blair, the wife of former prime minister Tony Blair, also said there should be a ban on pregnant women being sent to prison.
She added that there was ‘no sadder place than in a women’s prison’ and 95 per cent of jailed women’s children will be taken into care.
In May last year, the BBC announced increased support for people in ‘real financial difficulty’ to pay for the TV licence fee.
This was a support plan announced as part of attempts to reduce the number of women who are prosecuted for licence fee evasion following the BBC’s gender disparity review which was set up to understand why so many of those prosecuted are women.
The review, which was overseen by independent adviser Baroness Lola Young, found the disparity is largely caused by societal factors and there is no evidence that TV Licensing deliberately discriminates against any group.
The societal factors cited in the report were the greater financial hardship faced by women; women being more likely to be at home and organising domestic bills; and women making up more than 60 per cent of single-adult households.
It comes amid ongoing calls to decriminalise non-payment of the licence fee, which increased by £10.50 a year to £169.50 from April.
In 2021, the Government decided not to go ahead with decriminalisation proposals, but said this would ‘remain under active consideration’.
The BBC is required to issue TV licences and collect the fee under the Communications Act 2003.
A TV Licensing spokesman told today: ‘Prosecution is always a last resort and our priority is to help people stay correctly licensed. The issue of why more women than men are prosecuted for non-payment of the licence fee is a complex one.
‘It was the subject of an in-depth, independently-overseen review published last year which found no evidence that TV Licensing deliberately discriminates against any group; that gender is not a factor in the way that we collect the licence fee and that broader societal factors, such as financial hardship and household composition, drive the disparity.
‘We are now implementing a 10-point plan to offer further support to people, mitigate the risks of these societal factors where possible and therefore reduce the risk of prosecution.’