Sir Keir Starmer has urged the broadcaster of the Champions League final to air the game for free next Saturday. 

The Prime Minister is attempting to prevent this year becoming the first in the Champion’s Leagues 34-year history in which the final is not free to watch for British fans. 

TNT Sports has broadcast the finals of all three European competitions on its YouTube channel in recent years.

But the final is not set to be free-to-air this year, after parent company Warner Bros Discovery moved TNT to its new HBO Max platform in the UK.

The subscription package for the platform which includes TNT Sports costs at least £36 per month.

Arsenal, of whom Starmer is a devoted fan and season ticket holder, are set to face off against Paris Saint Germain in Budapest, Hungary, on May 30. 

Arsenal fan Starmer puts pressure on TNT

The Prime Minister wrote to TNT Sports on Saturday, saying he was “saddened” to learn that the final will not be free to watch.

He said: “Obviously I want as many fellow fans as possible to be able to watch our team in this historic final for the first time in 20 years. However, this is bigger than that.

“This is about supporters of all teams coming together in living rooms and pubs in every corner of the country to watch the most elite players in Europe battle it out.”

Starmer said he has been lobbying FIFA to make more affordable tickets available at this summer’s World Cup. 

“Hard-working people should not have to worry about forking out for a subscription to watch a game of this magnitude,” he wrote.

Football should not be ‘behind paywall’

This comes after several MPs called on the Prime Minister to ensure the match is free-to-air.

Labour MP Jon Trickett said earlier this week that “all major sporting finals should be free to watch on UK television”. 

“I’d like to see the government take action to ensure future events like the Champions League final are accessible to as many people as possible,” he added.

Shadow sport minister Louie French said that “millions of football fans will have to pay extra to watch the Champions League final”.

“While we know that broadcasters need to generate revenue to make sure they can continue to air Europe’s biggest sporting events, where possible, football should be accessible to supporters, not hidden behind a paywall,” he said.