BBC chief: I now doubt decision to pay Huw Edwards after his arrest
THE BBC’s director-general yesterday admitted he questioned whether the corporation was right to have paid Huw Edwards about £200,000 after his arrest.
Tim Davie, appearing in front of peers, said he thought about whether the BBC could have been more ‘muscular’ with ‘regard to payment’.
He also revealed that Edwards still hasn’t paid any of this money back, which the BBC has asked him to do. But the director-general added he hoped ‘to make progress’ to recover earnings from the disgraced former newsreader.
Also speaking at the House of Lords communications and digital committee, the BBC’s chairman Samir Shah launched a withering attack on Edwards.
Mr Shah said the Welsh star had led a ‘double-life’ who while being a trusted news presenter had ‘secretly’ done ‘the most appalling things’. He added that Edwards had ‘betrayed the trust of the nation, the trust of his colleagues’.
Edwards, 63, pleaded guilty to having indecent images of children on July 31 at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
Speaking to the committee, Mr Davie was asked about the decision to pay Edwards £200,000 between his arrest in November 2023 and his resignation in April this year.
He said: ‘It wasn’t an easy decision, it was really difficult getting the balance right because you knew the arrest had been made, you knew that there were no charges.’
He added: ‘I even looked at the gov.uk guidelines on employee rights during suspension and the standard practice is to pay.’
The BBC boss said: ‘I welcome the idea that we look at that policy. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and with that you begin to think about, “Could you be more muscular in the situation with regard to payment?”.’
Mr Davie said the BBC could have taken the ‘risk’ and gone against its policies in relation to the pay issue. But this might include ‘legal risks’ and ‘significant welfare risks’.
Edwards cited medical advice at the time of his resignation, having already been suspended over separate allegations the previous July.
On trying to get the money back from Edwards, Mr Davie said: ‘We’ve made the formal request, and I can’t go into too much detail, but discussions are under way. The BBC’s position is clear, the money should be returned.’
Mr Davie also said the BBC will ‘explore’ the legal process if Edwards refuses.
Edwards had been the BBC’s highest-paid newsreader, with its accounts putting him in a pay bracket of between £475,000 and £479,999 for 2023/24.
Edwards will be sentenced on September 16, when he could face a prison term.