Channel 4 urged to reveal pay of top stars

Channel 4 should follow in the footsteps of the BBC and published the salaries of its top earners, Tory leader Ruth Davidson has indicated suggested.

Presenters like Jon Snow and Krishnan Gurumurthy would be among those forced to reveal their pay amid concerns that a gender pay gap could exist at the broadcaster, similar to those of the BBC.

The Tory leader spoke out during an even at the Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open which gets underway tomorrow for the next four days at Dundonald Links in Ayrshire. She was quizzed by BBC journalist Sarah Smith, who formerly work on Channel 4 at an event called Gender on the Agenda.

“The BBC is a public sector broadcaster; it takes money from you and I through fees and therefore there is a standard through which is should be held to,” Ms Davidson said.

“It’s not the only public sector broadcaster that has government preference in the UK. Channel 4 is also a public sector broadcaster.

“I’m pretty sure that when you [Sarah Smith] were at Channel 4, you and Samira Ahmed probably weren’t on the same pay scale as Krishnan Gurumurthy and Jon Snow. But we don’t know that.

“Unless they choose to publish that we will never know that because there’s no way to force that.

The publication of BBC salaries showed a marked disparity in gender pay with top earlier Chris Evans on £2.2 million, while the top female presenter Claudia Winkleman earned £450-499,000.