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July 11, 2018updated 16 Jul 2018 11:25am

News anchor Huw Edwards now BBC’s highest-paid journalist after big beast pay cuts but BBC Women say still ‘far to go’ on pay equality + full list of salaries

By Charlotte Tobitt

BBC News at Ten anchor Huw Edwards is now the highest paid journalist at the BBC after a number of its top-earning men, including Edwards, agreed to salary cuts amid a row over equal pay at the corporation.

Edwards was paid up to £599,999 when the salaries of the BBC’s on-air talent paid more than £150,000 a year through the licence fee were first revealed last year following a Government edict to make them public.

In the latest salary figures released today, one year on, Edwards has seen his salary fall to a maximum of £539,999.

Scroll down for full list of salaries compared with year before

In January this year Press Gazette reported that six of the BBC’s highest-paid male journalists agreed to cut their salaries.

They were: Edwards, Radio 2 presenter Jeremy Vine, Today presenters John Humphrys and Nick Robinson, North America editor Jon Sopel and Radio Five Live presenter Nicky Campbell.

Vine, who was the BBC’s highest-paid journalist in 2016/17, has seen his salary fall from up to £749,999 down to a maximum of £449,999. This is the biggest pay cut among BBC journalists.

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BBC Radio 4 Today programme presenter John Humphrys went from a salary of up to £649,999 down to a maximum of £409,999.

The new salary figures show the top ten best-paid journalists at the corporation are still all men, despite “concerted action” by the BBC to improve its gender pay gap.

The BBC said its median pay gap for last year was 7.6 per cent, down from 9.3 per cent the year before. The corporation’s mean gender pay gap has also fallen, from 10.7 per cent in 2017 to 8.4 per cent.

The BBC is aiming for gender pay parity by 2020.

In a joint statement shared on Twitter, the BBC Women group, representing more than 170 broadcasters and producers, said: “The list shows how far the BBC still has to go in valuing women and men equally for their work.

“A year on from the formation of our group, many women at all levels of the organisation are still involved in protracted and gruelling processes to address their pay claims.

“We urge management to resolve these as swiftly as possible and in full accordance with the law.

“From now on, we expect all management decisions on pay, promotion and recruitment to be made with equal pay as a given.”

The Today programme’s Mishal Husain is the top-paid woman journalist at the BBC on up to £229,999, slightly up from last year. She is followed by Fran Unsworth, director of news and current affairs, on up to £249,999.

Women to have joined the list this year include Newsnight’s Emily Maitlis on up to £229,999, Europe editor Katya Adler on £170,000 – £179,999, and Today’s Sarah Montague on £160,000-169,999.

Other new additions include media editor Amol Rajan, on £200,000 – £209,999 and former Today presenter James Naughtie on £170,000 – £179,999.

Not on the list this year, however, is Daily Politics presenter Andrew Neil. Neil was paid up to £249,999 last year. Neil stopped presenting BBC Sunday Politics in September 2017

Also not on the list, but who appeared last year, is Newsnight’s Kirsty Wark and BBC Breakfast presenter Naga Munchetty.

The BBC announced last week that its median gender pay gap has dropped from 9.3 per cent to 7.6 per cent in the past year after “concerted action” began to close the gap by 2020.

Michelle Stanistreet, NUJ general secretary, said: “Since last year’s pay disclosures lifted the lid on pay inequity at the BBC, the NUJ has worked hard to get to grips with the scale of the problem, entering into negotiations to improve clearer salary structures that are consistently applied and transparent at the same time as representing members in equal pay complaints.

“Much progress has been made in recent months, but there remains much work to be done; not least on the outstanding equal pay cases for NUJ members we are representing at the BBC.

“Whilst a growing number have been resolved, and we’ve seen significant pay increases and back-pay for some members, many more are outstanding.

“The length of time cases are taking to resolve is a cause for concern and we continue to push for speedy and comprehensive settlements to these complaints.”

Complete list of BBC journalists earning more than £150,000

Name Salary band (2018) Salary band (2017) Main BBC job
Huw Edwards £520,000 – £529,999 £550,000-£599,999 Presenter, News at Ten
Nicky Campbell £410,000 – £419,999 £400,000-£449,999 Presenter, Radio 5
Jeremy Vine £440,000 – £449,999 £700,000-£749,999 Presenter, Radio 2
John Humphrys £400,000-£409,999 £600,000-£649,999 Presenter, Today and Mastermind
Andrew Marr £400,000 – £409,999 £400,000-£449,999 Presenter, Andrew Marr Show
Stephen Nolan £400,000 – £409,999 £400,000-£449,999 Presenter, BBC Northern Ireland
Eddie Mair £330,000-£339,999 £300,000-£349,999 Presenter, Radio 4
George Alagiah £290,000 – £299,999 £250,000-£299,999 Presenter, News at Six
Nicholas Robinson £250,000-£259,999 £250,000-£299,999 Presenter, Today
Evan Davis £250,000 – £259,999 £250,000-£299,999 Presenter, Newsnight
Mishal Husain £220,000-£229,999 £200,000-£249,999 Presenter, Today
Francesca Unsworth £240,000 – £249,999 £200,000-£250,000 Director, World Service Group
Jonathan Sopel £230,000 – £239,999 £200,000-£249,999 Correspondent, North America editor
Emily Maitlis £220,000 – £229,999 N/A Presenter, Newsnight
Dan Walker £220,000 – £229,999 £200,000-£249,999 Presenter, BBC Breakfast
Victoria Derbyshire £210,000 – £219,999 £200,000-£249,999 Presenter, BBC Two
Laura Kuenssberg £220,000 – £229,999 £200,000-£249,999 Correspondent, political editor
Martha Kearney £200,000-£209,999 £200,000-£249,999 Presenter, Radio 4 World at One
Amol Rajan £200,000 – £209,999 N/A Media editor
Jeremy Bowen £200,000 – £209,999 £150,000-£199,999 Correspondent, Middle East editor
Sophie Raworth £200,000 – £209,999 £150,000-£199,999 Presenter, BBC News at One
Adrian Van Klaveren £190,000 – £199,999 £150,000-£199,999 Head of Strategic Change, World Service
Fiona Bruce £180,000 – £189,999 £350,000-£399,999 Presenter, TV news, Antiques Roadshow
James Naughtie £170,000 – £179,999 N/A Correspondent and presenter
Mark Easton £170,000 – £179,999 N/A Correspondent, home editor
Katya Adler £170,000 – £179,999 N/A Europe editor
David Jordan £170,000 – £179,999 £150,000-£199,999 Director, Editorial Policy and Standards
Sarah Montague £160,000-169,999 N/A Presenter, Today
Kamal Ahmed £160,000 – £169,999 £150,000-£199,999 Correspondent, economics editor
John Simpson £160,000 – £169,999 £150,000-£199,999 Correspondent, World Affairs editor
Justin Webb £160,000-£169,999 £150,000-£199,999 Presenter, Today
Fiona Campbell £160,000 – £169,999 £150,000-£199,999 Controller, BBC News, Mobile and Online
David Holdsworth £160,000 – £169,999 £150,000-£199,999 Controller, English Regions
Jonathan Munro £160,000 – £169,999 £150,000-£199,999 Head of Newsgathering
Mary Hockaday £160,000 – £169,999 £150,000-£199,999 Controller, World Service English
Moira Stuart £160,000 – £169,999 £150,000-£199,999 Presenter, reads news on Radio 2
Ben Brown £150,000 – £159,999 £150,000-£199,999 Presenter, BBC News Channel
John Pienaar £150,000 – £159,999 £150,000-£199,999 Correspondent, deputy political editor
James Gray £150,000 – £159,999 £150,000-£199,999 Deputy Head of Current Affairs
Tina Daheley £150,000 – £159,999 N/A Presenter, Newsbeat and news events and cover for BBC Breakfast and Victoria Derbyshire
Simon Jack £150,000 – £159,999 N/A Business editor
Fergal Keane £150,000 – £159,999 N/A Africa editor
Sarah Smith £150,000 – £159,999 N/A Scotland editor
Gavin Allen £150,000 – £159,999 N/A Controller, Daily News Programming

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