140 backbench MPs want to make non-payment a civil courts matter, and spokesman says PM considers it an 'interesting idea'

David Cameron believes it is an "interesting idea" to remove the threat of prosecution from those who do not pay the BBC licence fee, raising the prospect that the government could support the more than 140 backbench MPs who are trying to change the law.

Before a Commons committee debate on the issue on Thursday, the prime minister's official spokesman suggested Cameron was open to the idea of decriminalising evasion of the annual £145.50 fee, meaning those who do not pay would only face action in the civil courts.

"His view is that this is an interesting idea and we will listen carefully to MPs' views on it," the spokesman said. "The charter review process does offer a regular opportunity to consider these types of issues, of course. But we will continue listening to MPs."

A cross-party group of more than 140 parliamentarians have signed up to the Tory MP Andrew Bridgen's amendment to the deregulation bill on decriminalising licence fee non-payment.

They include the Tories Bernard Jenkin, David Davis, Zac Goldsmith and Cheryl Gillan, the Liberal Democrat Sir Menzies Campbell, and the Labour politicians Austin Mitchell and Frank Field.

The idea was first raised by the justice secretary, Chris Grayling, who was quoted in the Daily Telegraph this month as saying Whitehall officials were engaged in "serious work" on the idea. Licence fee evasions accounted for 12% of the workload in magistrates courts in 2012.

The culture secretary, Maria Miller, has signalled that she is prepared to put the idea on the table during upcoming talks on the licence fee deal and renewing the BBC's royal charter agreement, which sets out the corporation's scope and remit.

This would give her department a useful bargaining chip in negotiations with the BBC between now and the end of 2016, when the existing 10-year charter and licence fee agreements end, that would disappear if Bridgen's amendment is adopted.

The BBC maintains that decriminalising TV licence fee evasion – which currently incurs a £1,000 penalty and potentially jail – could cost up to £200m a year in lost revenue and lead to the axing of channels including BBC4, CBBC and CBeebies.

James Purnell, BBC director of strategy and digital, said last week that it would be a "huge risk" to push through such legislation. The corporation argues that the idea would be better debated as part of the forthcoming charter review process.

In its discussions with politicians, the BBC has been highlighting the fact that 0.3% of court time is taken up with licence-fee evasion cases and they are often dealt with in batches, with the average time spent lasting around three-and-a-half minutes.

In addition, the BBC argues that for every 1% reduction in penetration of the licence fee there would be a £35m loss of income, and that enforcement would be much more difficult if non-payment was a civil rather than a criminal offence as it would be harder to use detection equipment.

It also maintains that the criminal justice and courts bill, laid before the Commons in February, will further improve the efficiency with which licence fee cases are handled.

A BBC spokesman said: "Our position is the same as laid out by James Purnell. We think it should not be done in isolation. We do not oppose the debate, but think there should be a proper assessment … rather than rushing forward with it."