Huw Edwards should return his BBC salary – paying him taxpayer money for months after arrest was WRONG, says Culture Sec
HUW Edwards should return his BBC salary following his child sex images conviction, the Culture Secretary has said.
The disgraced newsreader, 62, is understood to have been paid around £200,000 by the BBC despite his arrest in November.
He was one of the BBC’s highest-paid presenters with a pay bracket between £475,000 and £479,999 for the year 2023/24.
At the time of his arrest in November, Edwards was already suspended from the BBC in relation to different allegations.
But he remained one of the BBC’s highest-paid presenters with a full salary of nearly £480,000, until he quit the broadcaster on “medical advice” in April.
However, Lisa Nandy today said Edwards should return the salary, adding that it is “not a good use of taxpayers’ money”.
She told Sky News: “I think he ought to return his salary.
“I think having been arrested on such serious charges all the way back in November, to continue to receive that salary all the way through until he resigned is wrong and it’s not a good use of taxpayers’ money.
“I think most people in the country will agree with that but whether he does that or not is up to him.”
Her comments come after she hauled in director-general Tim Davie to explain why the BBC carried on paying Edwards after his arrest.
When asked about the meeting, Ms Nandy added: “We had a very robust and frank discussion about the circumstances around the case, and some of the decisions that have been made during that case and also since.
“Obviously, I am particularly concerned to make sure that people have confidence in the BBC.
“I think the director-general made a good start yesterday, in going out to be as open and transparent as possible with the public, both about what the BBC knew but also about why they made the decision they did, and also the use of taxpayers’ money, which is obviously important to a lot of people.”
However, Mr Davie has admitted it is “impossible” to claw back the money.
He said: “No one likes to see this situation. But these are unfortunately the specifics of how it works.
“We can’t claw back the pension – it’s very difficult, nigh on impossible.
“I think when it comes to pay – again, legally challenging, but we’ll look at all options.”
Meanwhile, Ms Nandy also appeared to suggest that some findings from the internal probe into Edwards should be made public.
She said: “I think we all recognise there is a job of work to do, to get more information in the public domain, to reassure people, not just about the decisions that have been made but also about the action that the BBC will take going forwards
“My concern is to make sure warning signs are caught, complaints are acted on, that public money is used well, and to make sure as far as is humanly possible that we don’t have a repeat of this situation in the future.”
BBC plagued by paedos
e assaulted up to 450 young people, with police recording 31 allegations of rape against him.
His crimes stretched back to 1955 and allegations included the abuse of desperately ill children and necrophilia.
Jonathan King, BBC presenter and music impresario, was jailed for seven years in 2001 for molesting five teenage boys in the 1980s.
Thick of It actor Chris Langham was caged for ten months in 2007 for downloading child sex abuse images and videos.
It’s a Knockout star Stuart Hall got 30 months in 2013 for indecent assaults on girls.
Original Radio 1 presenter Chris Denning was caged for 13 years in 2014 for abusing 26 boys from 1967 to 1987, and got another 13-year sentence two years later.
He had also done jail time in the 1980s for assaulting boys.
And shamed presenter Rolf Harris was jailed for five-and- a-half years in 2014 for molesting four young girls, including one aged seven
Edwards is facing the prospect of jail after pleading guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children on Wednesday.
He received sex abuse videos of kids as young as seven on WhatsApp between December 2020 and August 2021.
But BBC staff are understood to be furious at the corporation’s handling of the scandal.
A note co-signed by senior management including Mr Davie, chief executive Deborah Turness and chief operating officer Leigh Tavaziva circulated to BBC staff this week caused further furore.
It said: “Many of you will have seen that Huw Edwards has pleaded guilty to charges against him.
“We are appalled by this news — there can be no place for such behaviour.
“Some of you may feel shocked and saddened by this news and will have worked closely with Huw Edwards over the years.
“Many of you will be working on this story, and we want to thank you for your professionalism in carrying on with your jobs in difficult circumstances.”