Bosses let top stars go on social media to defend giant salaries

THE BBC will make a dramatic break with protocol today by allowing its top-earning stars to defend their pay on social media.

Presenters such as Match of the Day host Gary Lineker and News at Ten anchor Huw Edwards are already well known for their Twitter rants.

However, the BBC will let them take on their critics directly today when it publishes the list of top earning employees.

Mr Lineker – thought to be one of its highest paid stars – has 5million Twitter followers and a reputation for inflammatory remarks. Last year, he called those who questioned the age of refugees coming from Calais ‘hideously racist’.

And Mr Edwards found himself in hot water in 2015 when he used Facebook to mock the viewing figures of ITV’s News at Ten. The BBC has not laid out specific guidance for how stars should behave By Katherine Rushton Media and Technology Editor online, and is leaving them to decide how much they want to discuss publicly when their salaries are revealed.

Meanwhile, bosses are dealing with complaints inside the Corporation from stars who feel that they are underpaid compared with their peers. Dozens have demanded meetings ahead of today’s disclosure after learning their colleagues are on the list but they are not.

Many female presenters are allegedly furious to learn they do not earn as much as their male counterparts, even though they do more or less the same job.

Others are incredulous that some littleknown names who rarely bring in big stories earn more than some of the BBC’s best journalists who risk their lives in war zones. The BBC faces the threat of walkouts and defections to rival broadcasters eager to poach them. The corporation will for the first time reveal the names and pay details of presenters earning £150,000 or more, in £50,000 salary bands. Insiders said the pay discrepancies are already proving ‘toxic’ and the ill-feeling is set to get worse when more details are published this morning.

Bosses have been meeting individually with the 96 staff who are on the list and warning them about the likely backlash from the public. In some cases, it has offered them protection in case criticism turns to threats or violence.

Lord Tony Hall, director general, yesterday warned staff against making comparisons. A senior insider said some pay gaps appear worse than they really are because the BBC has refused to publish precise figures. Staff who earn similar figures but whose pay falls either side of a salary band could believe the discrepancy was actually up to £100,000.