The BBC will face sanctions and fines from its new regulator unless it ends its Brexit bias, a former Culture Secretary and architect of the Royal Charter has warned.

John Whittingdale, a Conservative MP, said that he is concerned that the corporation is "constantly looking for negatives and highlighting the challenges" of Brexit.

He warned that if the corporation's negative coverage persists MPs could "escalate" their complaints to Ofcom, which takes over regulation of the BBC in a fortnight.