BBC Radio 4 presenter Justin Webb has said that news broadcasters’ salaries should “keep them on the side of the people” – but hinted he may earn more than the prime minister.
His comments come in wake of the white paper unveiled by culture secretary John Whittingdale last week, which outlines the future of the BBC.
Among the measures announced by Whittingdale is a requirement for the BBC to publish names of stars and executives earning more than £450,000 a year.
About a dozen stars are said to be paid above this level, including Gary Lineker, Chris Evans and Graham Norton.
David Cameron currently earns £142,500 a year; Whittingdale initially pushed for the names of BBC staff earning more than this to be published, but the level was raised after David Cameron’s intervention.
Webb’s pay would therefore not have to be disclosed under the new rules if it is between £150,000 and £450,000; co-hosts John Humphrys, Nick Robinson, Sarah Montague, Mishal Husain and James Naughtie are also thought to be in this bracket.
Writing in the Radio Times, Webb said: “Yes, I understand the special concern about the BBC, since the salaries come straight from licence payers.
“That is – literally and metaphorically – a matter to be decided above my pay grade. But perhaps it’s more important that all news broadcasters – on commercial stations as well – should be paid in a manner that keeps them on the side of the people.”
Referring to a list that was published on the internet, claiming to reveal the salaries of numerous high earners, he said his daughter had quizzed him comically after his name appeared on the list.
“My daughter is outraged at the suggestion that I might earn more than the prime minister, who is paid £143,462,” he wrote. “She has read my name on a list on the internet (do they not have bike sheds to smoke behind in modern schools?) and is quizzing me on the way home: ‘But you don’t do anything’.”
The Today programme presenter also said he wanted to thank “whoever it was who put me on that list”, adding: “If I had a few bob and the time to spare I might approach a top lawyer and make a claim that my human rights have been abused.”
Webb appeared to take a swipe at former BBC colleague Robert Peston’s pay package at ITV, which has been claimed to be up to £750,000.
Comparing UK presenters’ pay with levels in the US, he said that former NBC journalist David Gregory was “reportedly paid $5m to front a Sunday morning politics show and then $4m when he was fired”. “Exactly: even more than Robert Peston,” Webb wrote.
He ended his column with the observation that he had not been included in a more recent list, joking: “My instinct is to be worried. But I suspect it’s for the greater good.”
