Labour is being urged to delay the switch-off of Freeview television by a decade over concerns up to five million households could be left vulnerable during national emergencies.

A letter signed by almost 50 MPs calls for the switch-off to be pushed back from 2034 to 2044, with both years currenly being considered by the government.

They argue rushing into the change a decade earlier will impose billions more in costs to the taxpayer, increase household bills and leave 'the nation weaker and less resilient' in national emergencies.

Vulnerable people would be left without a 'reliable' and 'trusted' news source in times of crisis, they added.

A Green Paper published by the government in June laid out proposals to end aerial-based Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT), with the earliest date for the transition given as 2034. 

The move would see access withdrawn to more than 70 standard TV channels, and up to 15 HD channels, including BBC One, BBC Two, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5.

Instead, these channels would only be available on internet-based services, something campaigners say would force millions to purchase higher-cost broadband packages to stream live TV.

It would mean the end of Freeview, which reaches 13.6million homes across the UK and is the main television platform for 40 per cent of households with a set.  

A government consultation on the plans ended last night, with campaigners urging affected families to ask the government to opt for a 2044 transition date, rather than 2034. As many as 1.5million households are expected to still be reliant on DTT by 2035.

Now 48 MPs have written to the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Lisa Nandy, warning an earlier deadline could leave millions vulnerable in national emergencies.

'A premature switch-off in 2034 risks cutting five million households off from a television service they rely on, imposing billions in upfront and rolling costs on the taxpayer, driving up household bills, and leaving the nation weaker and less resilient in times of emergency,' the letter reads.

'The Government should not take those risks when a credible, costed and lower-risk alternative is on the table.'

The letter added many households depending on aerial TV are 'many of the most vulnerable: older people and families on tight budgets, people with disabilities, rural, coastal and island communities across the United Kingdom, along with the many homes with no reliable or affordable broadband'.

'For them, terrestrial television is how they follow the news, watch sport, and stay part of national life,' they continued.

'Terrestrial television also makes a major contribution to our national resilience, as one of the most efficient and reliable ways to reach the whole country with trusted information, including in emergencies, and as part of a wider network alongside radio which would be negatively impacted if television was turned off.'

The letter is signed by cross-party MPs, including shadow cabinet member and Conservative Katie Lam, former Labour Cabinet Minister and Secretary of State for Defra, Steve Reed, and shadow transport secretary Richard Holden.

Mr Reed added: 'Free-to-air terrestrial television is a lifeline for elderly Londoners, not to mention families on tight budgets or those without reliable or affordable broadband.'

'We should not allow a premature switch-off to place an effective paywall around a service that has reached every home for generations.'

'I am backing the more gradual 2044 option which protects the most vulnerable, keeps household bills down, and safeguards our national resilience. I urge the Government to commit clearly to 2044.'

Last month, concerns were also raised about Britain's most rural communities' access to quality broadband if services are switched to internet-streaming.

As of January, 89 per cent of English households in rural areas currently receive 4G coverage indoors from all four operators, the government reported.

This was 97 per cent in urban areas, while 1.5 per cent of homes have no access to 4G from any network.

Government data published last month also shows just 70 per cent of rural residences have access to gigabit-capable broadband, compared to 92 per cent in towns and cities.

In the most rural areas, this dropped to just 60 per cent.

Gigabit-capable broadband gives households a connection of at least 1,000 Mbps per second, 20 times faster than standard broadband.

As of November, Ofcom said 26,000 properties in England still lack adequate broadband connection at all.

A spokesperson at Broadcast 2040+ said: 'Freeview should not be switched off until every household has something just as reliable, just as affordable and just as universal to move to.'

A petition set up by campaign group Silver Voices alongside the Digital Poverty Alliance and the Broadcast 2040+ Coalition calling for Freeview to be saved until at least the mid 2040s has gained 160,000 signatures. 

Director of Silver Voices Dennis Reed previously told the Daily Mail that switching off Freeview could become 'Burnham's winter fuel moment'.

'Andy Burnham would be bonkers to proceed with this premature plan,' he told the Daily Mail.

'Most affected would be low income families and pensioners who will not be able to afford the [broadband] contracts, and those in isolated and rural communities who cannot receive fast broadband at all.

'Mark my words, if the Freeview switch off goes ahead it will become Burnham's winter fuel moment.'