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The Government will tomorrow set out details of its plans to sell Channel 4 in a white paper, despite vocal opposition to the move.

The broadcaster, which is publicly owned but privately funded, was set up by Margaret Thatcher’s Government in the 1980s as an alternative to the BBC and ITV.

With no in-house production facilities, it’s the biggest driver of Britain’s independent production sector. Channel 4 bosses, cross-party MPs and a string of TV industry bigwigs have warned a sale would damage its distinctive voice and harm the wider sector.

Media minister Julia Lopez said public service broadcasters like Channel 4 produce high-quality content, but that the rise of streaming services had changed the TV sector beyond recognition.

She told MPs: “Tomorrow we will be publishing a White Paper that proposes major reforms to our decades-old broadcasting regulations, reforms that will put traditional broadcasters like the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 on an even playing field with Netflix, Amazon Prime and others… The sale of Channel 4 is just one part of that major piece of reform.”

She said the broadcaster had “few options to grow, to invest and to compete” under public ownership.