Huw Edwards named BBC's third-highest paid journalist after £40,000 pay rise

23 July 2024, 14:05

The BBC has defended giving Huw Edwards a £40,000 pay rise, despite him being off air for much of the last year.

The former News At Ten presenter became the organisation’s third-highest presenter prior to resigning on “medical grounds” after being accused of paying a young person thousands of pounds for sexually explicit images.

According to the BBC’s annual report, Mr Edwards earned between £475,000-£479,999 from April 2023 to April 2024, an increase from £435,000-£439,999 revealed in last year’s numbers.

The 62-year-old presenter was taken off air in July last year after it was alleged he paid a young person £35,000 for inappropriate images.

The Metropolitan Police and South Wales Police have found no evidence of criminal activity by Mr Edwards.

BBC’s director general Tim Davie defended the pay rise, claiming the organisation was trying to act “appropriately” while navigating a difficult situation.

He told reporters: "No-one wants to waste a pound but we need to act proportionately and fairly and I think that's what we did.

"Prior to any breaking of the (Edwards) story, people do get pay rises for extended responsibility and more hours' work. So that's fairly normal, and that's what resulted in the change."

Mr Edwards had become a key figure for the BBC in recent years, playing a central role in the coverage of Queen Elizabeth II’s death and other major political events.

For the seventh year in a row, Match of the Day star Gary Lineker topped the BBC’s list of best-paid stars.

The former England and Tottenham forward earned between £1,350,000 - £1,354,999 in the last financial year.

BBC Radio 2's Zoe Ball came in as the organisation’s second-highest earner, bringing in between £950,000 to £954,999, down £30,000 from last year.

The BBC is also facing increasing scrutiny amid claims of abuse behind the scenes on Strictly Come Dancing.

This comes after Strictly professionals Graziano Di Prima and Giovanni Pernice were axed amid allegations over their behaviour in training.

Speaking today, Mr Davie said: "There will be a degree of competitiveness and will to do well, but there are limits and the line should never be crossed.

"We never tolerate unacceptable behaviour of any kind."

He added he was "very sorry that anyone has had an experience that hasn’t been wholly positive.

"That’s something we do need to reflect on and I’m sorry about that," he continued.

"There are clearly learnings specifically about oversight in the training rooms that we had needed to address."