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.
GettyHuw Edwards outside Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday[/caption]
GettyCulture Secretary Lisa Nandy has said Edwards should return his salary.[/caption]
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.”
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy is hauling in director-general Tim Davie to explain why the BBC carried on paying Edwards after his arrest.
However, he 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.”
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