Former newsreader Huw Edwards has not paid back around £200,000 in salary he was asked to return to the BBC following his arrest and resignation.
When Edwards pled guilty to charges of accessing indecent images of children last year he was asked to return the pay received between his arrest in November 2023 and his resignation in April 2024.
Prior to his plea, the BBC had come under fire for continuing to pay the presenter, who up to this point was still receiving his full £475,000 a year salary as per its policy for paying employees who are under suspension.
BBC chair Samir Shah has now revealed that Edwards is “unwilling” to pay back the money, despite being asked many times.
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Shah and BBC director general Tim Davie were facing questions at the House of Commons culture, media and sport committee yesterday (4 March) into the work of and culture at the BBC.
Shah told MPs: “There was a moment that we thought he might just do the right thing for a change, then he decided not to.”
“It’s quite frustrating because I think he should have done it. He could still do it. It’s not right. He’s taken licence fee payers’ money and he knew what he’d done and should return it now.”
The committee also posed questions about the BBC’s response to complaints about other high-profile former employees of the BBC including Tim Westwood and Russell Brand.
A week ago, the BBC apologised for its failure to tackle the behaviour of former Radio 1 DJ Westwood, who was accused of sexual misconduct and bullying.
In January, it issued an apology to staff for not investigating complaints made by staff about the behaviour of Brand, who also faced serious allegations of sexual misconduct.
“We just have to make sure that the BBC is a modern organisation,” Shah told MPs. “People who work for it feel able to voice their concerns, if they have any, and that they will be dealt with, and that no one in the BBC is untouchable.”
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Edwards was given a suspended prison sentence of six months after admitting the charges, and was placed on the sex offenders register for seven years.
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