BBC hopes to make pay deal with Maitlis

The BBC hopes to strike a new deal with Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis whose future is uncertain after she failed to appear in the corporation’s list of its highest-paid stars.

Ms Maitlis, an absentee from the salary disclosure table because she did not earn £150,000, is set to be one of the beneficiaries of the BBC’S commitment to closing the gender pay gap exposed in the revelations.

Alex Armitage, her agent, said that the presenter’s exclusion from the pay list was “beyond madness and being dealt with”.

The presenter has been off-air while talks continue over a new contract. She was among a number of BBC female colleagues offered a pay rise ahead of the salaries publication.

Named Broadcast Journalist of the Year 2017, Ms Maitlis, 46, could be a target for commercial rivals.