BBC STARS’ MOON LIGHTING STORM

Outcry over their lucrative speech circuit – as Mail forces Fiona Bruce to quit job with controversial firm

The BBC was last night facing questions over why it allows its highly-paid stars to pocket tens of thousands of pounds for speaking engagements.

The corporation has faced a furore over presenter salaries, but it is still allowing them to pick up five-figure sums on their days off for hosting commercial events.

The BBC’s critics warn the practice could undermine the broadcaster’s impartiality and tarnish its reputation.

Question Time star Fiona Bruce, who earns an estimated £800,000 a year, had been due to speak at a lucrative engagement for a firm accused of inadvertently helping criminals to obtain passports.

But after the Daily Mail revealed the potential breach of BBC rules, Miss Bruce pulled out. Business editor Simon Jack was also forced to cancel his appearance at the event.

Last night the BBC confirmed both journalists were potentially in breach of its guidelines. But incredibly it also emerged that the corporation relies on stars to police themselves, and carries out checks on outside events only if stars choose to volunteer details to bosses.

The BBC said it would now remind staff of the rules surrounding speaking engagements to ensure other presenters do not break the rules. The revelations are likely to fuel anger over the BBC inflating star salaries at a time when it is planning to strip 3.7million over75s of their free licences.

Miss Bruce had been listed as a key speaker in a glossy brochure for the henley & Partners global citizenship conference in London in November.

The firm helps wealthy clients to purchase citizenship in countries such as Malta and Austria – a controversial process known as ‘citizenship by investment’.

The industry has been accused of inadvertently helping criminals to access eU passports, fuelling organised crime, tax evasion and money laundering.

Yesterday Moldova suspended its passports programme due to ‘ questions about the companies that are involved’.

The scheme was developed in association with henley & Partners.

Upon being contacted by the Mail, Miss Bruce cancelled her appearance at the firm’s November event. She is one of the BBC’s highest-earning stars, taking home an estimated £800,000 a year for her work on the Six O’Clock News, Question Time, Fake or Fortune? and Antiques Roadshow.

Jack, who earns up to £175,000 a year, was also due to appear at the three-day henley & Partners conference. he pulled out yesterday.

The BBC guidelines state: ‘Public speaking commitments or other public appearances should not compromise the impartiality or integrity of the BBC or its content, or suggest that any part of the BBC endorses a third-party organisation, product, service or campaign.’

The rules make special demands of news and current affairs staff.

Alex Armitage, whose agency represents Miss Bruce and Jack, said: ‘We’ve pulled our clients out of it. Thank you for telling us about it.

‘It is absolutely clear that it’s not something our clients should be associated with.’

The BBC refused to say whether its executives had signed off on the engagements.

But a spokesman said: ‘We are reminding all of our news presenters and their editors of the rules on participating in external events.

‘We are also reminding them that they should obtain approval from the BBC before they accept such invitations.’

Tory former culture secretary John Whittingdale said: ‘You have a lot of people who are paid a great deal of money by the licence fee payer, and the BBC say, “Oh well, we have to pay that amount in order to be competitive.” But of course a lot of them are earning money outside. And the reason they are earning money outside is that they are very well known from appearing on the BBC.’

Fellow Tory MP Andrew Bridgen added: ‘There should be a register of interests so the public can see what they are doing.’ New rules will restrict free licences to the 900,000 over-75s on Pension Credits. According to the BBC’s annual report, talent pay rose by £11million last year despite constant pledges to save money and drive costs down.

‘Paid a great deal of money’