Cabinet Minister Hazel Blears has suggested that Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross stump up the £150,000 fine which has been imposed on the BBC over their actions.

Regulator Ofcom imposed the fine for what it called the “gratuitously offensive, humiliating and demeaning” prank calls, broadcast last October on Brand’s Radio 2 show.

“I was quite surprised when I read about this, that Ofcom were fining the BBC.”

“The BBC is funded by all of us as licence-payers, so actually, are we having to pay the fine?” the Communities Secretary told BBC Radio 4′s Any Questions.

“Then I thought maybe Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand should pay it… that might be quite a good idea,” she went on – winning loud applause from the studio audience.

“This money should come out of Jonathan Ross’s salary so that broadcasting does not suffer as a consequence of this error,” Liberal Democrat spokesman Don Foster said.