BBC shouldn’t pay staff more than PM

Culture Secretary calls for a £150,000 salary cap

The BBC could follow the public sector and cap staff salaries at the same level as Theresa May, the new Culture Secretary said yesterday.

Matt hancock said the Corporation had ‘missed a chance’ to bring in similar measures, as he compared the salaries of the broadcaster’s foreign editors with those of ambassadors.

North America editor Jon Sopel was last year listed as having a salary of between £200,000 and £249,999. By contrast, British ambassador to the US Sir Kim Darroch earns from £180,000 to £184,999. Mrs May is paid £150,000 a year to lead the country.

Mr hancock’s comments come in the midst of a row over Carrie Gracie, who resigned as the BBC’s China editor because she was unhappy about unequal pay.

The 55-year- old had earned £135,000 – considerably less than Mr Sopel – before the BBC offered her a £45,000 rise, which she rejected.

Today programme presenter John humphrys, who was criticised after being recorded joking about the issue, had been listed as having a salary of up to £649,999 – making the 74year- old the BBC’s highestpaid news presenter.

The Corporation has asked huw edwards, 56, to cut his salary of almost £600,000 as it scrambles to fend off a legal row over its gender pay gap. Speaking to ITV’s Peston on Sunday, Mr hancock said: ‘Making sure we have equal pay isn’t just about levelling up women’s pay in the BBC, it’s about equal pay and a reasonable level.

‘Across the rest of the public sector, we brought in rules to say that except in exceptional circumstances, people who are paid for by taxpayers’ money shouldn’t be paid more than the Prime Minister.

‘ The BBC, of course, are responsible for their own pay, and I think that they missed a chance to bring in that kind of rule when we brought it in for the rest of public sector a few years ago.

‘Who should we be paying the most to? Is it the BBC editor, or is it the ambassador? People in the armed services put their life on the line and yet they abide by the public sector pay norms, which is not to have excessive pay and where the Prime Minister’s pay is seen as a guide at the top.’

Mr hancock said he would discuss the issue with BBC director-general Lord hall in the next few weeks.

The BBC said: ‘ We have reduced the amount we pay talent by a quarter over the past five years.’

A spokesman warned the Corporation was competing against ITV, Sky, Channel 4, and the ‘deep pockets’ of Netflix, Amazon and Apple.

‘Who should we pay most to?’