China could help prop up UK TV by buying famous British shows such as Peppa Pig, a Conservative Party leadership contender has suggested.

Taking a question about the TV licence fee and its future, James Cleverly claimed foreign viewers of UK television including the BBC back catalogue could help pay for the broadcaster during an “era of streaming services”.

His leadership race rival Robert Jenrick said he was “sorely tempted” to scrap the charge.

If Disney and Netflix can make money on the subscription model, the BBC should, because the bottom line is, in the era of streaming services, the tax to watch television is an unsustainable business model

On stage at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, Mr Cleverly said: “I had a delegation from the BBC come along to me and say, when I was a new MP, and they did the usual thing: ‘Oh, because of the unique way the BBC is funded ya-ya-ya-ya.’

“And I said to them at the time, this was back in 2015, I said ‘If I were you, at the next renegotiation of the licence fee, I would start your planning to become a subscription service. You have a back catalogue of some of the best television in the world’.

“If Disney and Netflix can make money on the subscription model, the BBC should, because the bottom line is, in the era of streaming services, the tax to watch television is an unsustainable business model.

“And that back catalogue of content that we have already paid for, why don’t we make sure that when China obsesses about Peppa Pig – apparently Peppa Pig is very popular in China – and other content, that they pay for it rather than demanding that we pay for it all over again?”

As part of a similar question-and-answer session, Mr Jenrick earlier said the TV licence fee is “a question we’ll have to give a lot of thought to”.

He said: “Well I’m sorely tempted to say that I would scrap it, but look, I have three young daughters.

“They watch so little terrestrial TV. They’re on YouTube on their tablets, their iPads.

“I think it’s difficult to see the long-term future for the licence fee, but you know, that’s a question we’ll have to give a lot of thought to.”