Kent MPs have reacted to the government's plans to privatise Channel 4, with one saying the decision isn't one Margaret Thatcher would have made.

The government, which currently owns the channel, has been consulting on whether to privatise the broadcaster following concerns for its survival in the streaming era.

But after hearing plans are set to proceed, Channel 4 and multiple Kent MPs have shared their disappointment at the news.

Maidstone and The Weald's Helen Grant said: "Disappointed and unconvinced by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport decision to privatise Channel 4, notwithstanding sustainable alternatives.

"Decision leaves many unanswered questions. Government must show how it will safeguard the remit in legislation and protect the independent production sector."

While Ashford MP Damian Green added: "The sale of Channel 4 is politicians and civil servants thinking they know more about how to run a business than the people who run it. Very unconservative.

"Mrs Thatcher, who created it, never made that mistake."

Damian Collins, MP for Folkestone and Hythe, saw some positives from the plans.

He said: "New ownership for Channel 4 could bring greater investment & secure its future as a public service broadcaster.

"However its remit to commission programmes that tell stories which reflect the diversity of life in the UK must be protected as part of the sale."

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport said it had made the decision to allow the channel to “thrive in the face of a rapidly-changing media landscape” while a government source said the move would “remove Channel 4’s straitjacket”.

While a Channel 4 spokesman said: “With over 60,000 submissions to the government’s public consultation, it is disappointing that today’s announcement has been made without formally recognising the significant public interest concerns which have been raised.

“Channel 4 has engaged in good faith with the government throughout the consultation process, demonstrating how it can continue to commission much-loved programmes from the independent sector across the UK that represent and celebrate every aspect of British life as well as increase its contribution to society, while maintaining ownership by the public.”

The channel explained that it presented the government with an alternative to privatisation that would “safeguard its future financial stability” and allow it to do more for the public, creative industries and the economy.

The channel’s chief executive Alex Mahon also said in an internal email to staff on Monday that they had proposed a “vision for the next 40 years” which was rooted in “continued public ownership” and “built upon the huge amount of public value this model has delivered to date and the opportunity to deliver so much more in the future”.

However, she added that ultimately the ownership of the channel was for the “government to propose and Parliament to decide” and that her priority now was to “look after all of you and the wonderful Channel 4 spirit”.

The broadcaster said that it will continue to engage with the government during the legislative process and plans to do everything it can to “ensure that Channel 4 continues to play its unique part in Britain’s creative ecology and national life”.

No price tag has been set by the government yet, but reports suggest the channel could be sold for as much as £1 billion in a process that could take several months, with the proposals needing to pass through both the House of Commons and Lords.

Channel 4 was founded in 1982 to deliver to under-served audiences and currently receives its funding from advertising.

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries added in a tweet that she wanted the broadcaster to remain a “cherished place in British life”, but felt that government ownership was “holding Channel 4 back from competing against streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon”.

She added: “I will seek to reinvest the proceeds of the sale into levelling up the creative sector, putting money into independent production and creative skills in priority parts of the country – delivering a creative dividend for all.”

Other ministers have not been as supportive of the announcement, with Tory MP Sir Peter Bottomley saying he opposes the privatisation as he feels it is “bad for the diversity of television, bad for viewers and bad for independent producers”.