Daily News asks Huw Edwards to return greater than £200,000

Huw Edwards has been requested by the Daily News at hand again greater than £200,000 wage he earned after being arrested in November on little one abuse picture prices.

The ex-presenter “behaved in bad faith” in persevering with to take his wage regardless of understanding what he had performed, stated Daily News Chair Samir Shah in a letter to employees.

Edwards, previously the Daily News’s most high-profile newsreader, continued to earn his wage for 5 months after he was arrested on three counts of constructing indecent photographs of youngsters.

He was suspended in July final yr and arrested 4 months later. He didn’t resign from the Daily News till April.

Mr Shah stated Edwards had been “living a double life” as somebody who on the face of it was a much-admired broadcaster however who had “betrayed the trust of staff and our audiences”.

He stated the broadcaster was the “villain of the piece” and the “victims are those children for whose degradation” he supplied a marketplace for.

Edwards pleaded responsible in July to a few counts of constructing indecent photographs of youngsters.

The offences are alleged to have taken place between 2020 and 2022 and relate to 37 photographs that had been shared on a WhatsApp chat, in keeping with the Metropolitan Police.

The Daily News has not confirmed whether or not authorized proceedings will likely be undertaken if Edwards refuses to pay again his wage.

Director basic Tim Davie confirmed in an interview final week that the company knew the presenter had been arrested over essentially the most severe class of indecent photographs of youngsters in November.

It is known that when Edwards was arrested, the Daily News sought to ascertain if he admitted having photographs of this nature. The Daily News apparently did question this however was unable to ascertain that reality.

In an announcement, the Daily News Board stated it “supports the decisions taken by the director general and his team during this period”.

It added that had Edwards been up entrance when requested by the Daily News about his arrest, “we would never have continued to pay him public money”.

“He has clearly undermined the trust in the BBC and brought us into disrepute”.

The assertion additionally stated the board has “agreed to look at lessons from this period, including the BBC’s approach to the rules surrounding payments when employees are suspended”.

It famous that whereas the character of the costs relate to his personal private life, “the board believes these events have also put a spotlight on the question of power imbalances in the workplace”.

Between April 2023 and April 2024, Edwards acquired a wage between £475,000-£479,999, a rise of £40,000 on the earlier yr.

The Daily News’s manufacturing arm, Daily News Studios, additionally paid Edwards for overlaying royal and state occasions. This amount of cash just isn’t revealed publicly.

Last week, the Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy stated Edwards ought to return the £200,000 to the Daily News.

The Daily News has additionally introduced a brand new unbiased assessment into office tradition.

The assessment will “include work already being undertaken within the BBC, as well as working with the rest of the industry as appropriate”.

More info, together with the management of the assessment will likely be introduced in early September.

The tradition secretary welcomed the assessment and stated “public trust in the BBC is essential”.

“BBC staff must be able to feel safe in the workplace and be confident that if non-editorial complaints are raised they will be acted upon and dealt with fairly and decisively.”

Ms Nandy added that she had spoken to the Daily News chair previously week “to convey these points in the interests of the public”.

The Daily News has contacted Huw Edwards’ lawyer for remark.