‘Disgraced’ Huw Edwards urged to return more than £200,000 | LBC analysis

Huw Edwards has been asked to give back the £200,000 salary he earned after his child abuse image arrest.

The disgraced BBC newsreader was arrested in November, which senior executives at the corporation were aware of. He was paid £200,000 in the five months between his arrest and his departure in April.

He was paid £475,000 - a pay rise - in his final year at the BBC, which was a £40,000 pay rise.

00:00 - Matthew Wright does not see why the ex-presenter was given a pay rise.

04:28 - Former BBC Correspondent Michael Cole tells Matthew Wright that it is 'sinful to be paid for work that you haven't done'.

09:31 Employment lawyer Darren Newman 'can't see what the legal claim would be to get the money back unless there is something very specific in his contract that says not only will you not bring us into disrepute, but you will immediately confess to anything you've done that would bring us into disrepute'.

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LBC is the home of live debate around news and current affairs in the UK.

[HXT_]

Taxpayers shouldn’t be funding nonces. He pleaded guilty, knew he was guilty, and still took the money.

He should’ve resigned as soon as he was arrested if he knew he was guilty or planned to plead that way.

[GregOrCreg]

Why would he? He won't be able to ever work again. I'm not defending him on a moral level, but unless there's legal grounds for forcing him to return the money, from a logical POV, it seems highly unlikely that he'd volunteer it back. Is anyone going to think any higher of him if he does? Sorry, the BBC made its bed. Now it has to lie in it.

[atlasgabriel]

This is such a daft question. Water company bosses pollute rivers and don't return salaries or bonuses. MPs once sacked don't return salaries or expenses. It's a clickbait question that's designed to strike up a conversation that won't actually affect change, it’ll just wind everyone up, I'm so sick of content like this. I hope Edwards is punished under the law, the conversation should be about the conduct of corporations that effectively tax the public to continue running their operations and the BBC evidently needs either alot more oversight or the TV licence should be suspended indefinitely. My preference is for the latter.

[dub]

Let's get the PPE money back from the Tories friends and donors first.

[Riritoutfait]

No The beeb should refund the TV lisence to all users .

[graemerose]

It will be very difficult to reclaim the money unless there was a specific clause in his contract - which is highly unlikely.

[MC-zrgc]

"Huw"...? That's not a real name

[johnrussell]

That should be down to the courts, and not the BBC. If the courts think you should lose a years salary, they would fine you that amount.

[markstill]

Putting aside everything, why the heck do the bbc pay that sort of high money for reading the news anyway a highly qualified surgeon would not reach anywhere near the bbc is an ole boys club?

[JohnThebon-xz]

What about the presenter not investigating the news presenter of BBC before he was caught red handed.

[dedetreek]

He is under no obligation to return the money. The BBC should not have paid him in the first place!!!

[gordonbitting]

Michael Cole sums it up. As an old age pensioner I now object to paying my TV Licence

[amcc]

Yes return the moneys and he ought to be behind bars 🤷‍♂️

[deborahkildare]

Why would he care about being honourable now? Are we that naive! Unless they make him, I dont see him giving him it back.

[NailahRoberts]

You can be arrested for anything, when he was charged is when payment should stop.

[spacemonkey]

I don't think legally he has to send it back to them. He probably won't given the legal fees he is facing. The lawyers are probably taking it all

[peteanderson]

Well... if the Beeb want him to pay back the money supplied by those who still pay the licence fee... better get it back quick... before he tops himself

[IMBlakeley]

Should he maybe morally yes but we know his morals now and it is unlikely he will do so and unless he is contractually obliged why would he.

[chrisrevill]

Should he return it? Yes. Will he return it? No. When he gets out of prison (assuming that happens) he'll need that money to survive, no one is going to employ him are they?

[jeffreyharris]

The BBC paid him, not in error, they have no legal right to ask for the money back