Rod Liddle: UK Correspondent on the BBC's handling of Huw Edwards' child abuse images case

Published Sep 16, 2024, 9:11 PM

Questions are arising over the BBC's handling of disgraced broadcaster Huw Edwards' child abuse images case. 

The former news anchor has been given a suspended six-month sentence for soliciting indecent images of children. 

UK Correspondent Rod Liddle told Mike Hosking the BBC still paid Edwards his salary after being arrested and has now asked for it to be paid back. 

He says there's a view the BBC protects those it values from public scrutiny. 

LISTEN ABOVE 

Do Britain we go wrong, little morning mate, Good mone to you mate, Hewitwoods is not in jail. Are we surprised?

No, not remotely, and in many cases for good reasons that you know, he should be treated the same way as everyone else charged with the same offenses should be treated, which is that you know, he downloaded appalling stuff on child Paul from the Internet. But by and large the sentence for people who do that is a suspended sentence if he hasn't had a previous conviction. And he's had no previous conviction. So I don't think there's much worry about that. There's more worry about the way the BBC handled it. There's more worry about the way the BBC bumped in two hundred grand and he's still got it, and there's a general worry about the way the BBC conduct is affect I don't think that the actual sentencing and the judicial procedure through which Hugh Edwards sadly went, And it is sad because he was, you know, a bloke I knew quite well, never liked him hugely, he says now obviously, but didn't. But it's there is still this suspicion more than a suspicion that the BBC crowds around the people who it values and refuses them to be subjected to the same scrutiny that would happen to other people in society, which is what happened, of course with Jimmy Sepple.

Exactly does anybody ever quote, I mean outside of you obviously, but at a higher level, given at all publicly funded, does anyone at government label liby guy actually that that's not a bad point, Rod or whoever else? Maybe we need to have a look at the BBC in the way they operate.

No. I think a few Tories probably did, but I don't think they do anymore. And I certainly don't think the current government, which is about to make some sort of alliance with the BBC, I think over its continued license fee. No, it will continue to be this vast organization which does many many good things, you know, but which nonetheless lives its life in a bubble and against to the accusations of bias grow by the day and are almost in contestable. It's a real problem, the BBC. And it's a problem I think not just for you know, the right which hates it, but also to the left, which thinks it's.

Fine Starmer and Maloney. I don't know that you could get two more current politicians who would have less and common apart from the migrant issue. Is there a deal to be done here in some way, shape or form or not.

Well, this is yes, I think there is. This is important because this is Starma reaching out to Europe. So Starma's vision is to reach out to Europe in a way which obviously the Conservative Party didn't do because we left the European Union. So if you follow that kind of logic, it means that you have to reach out to people who really don't share your point of view. And basically Georgia Maloney, who has been described in the English media and the BBC particularly today is far right, which is what they described as anyone who is actually entering a hole towards Satan, is actually basically a saturate. And there are some similarities between what Starma may feel about the way in which the economy is ordered and the way which Georgia Maloney feel the economy should be ordered. He has gone to great lens to say, look, I don't agree with Maloney about loads of stuff, but there are things we can learn from her, and there are you know, Italy has cut its immigrant quota by sixty four percent in the last year. You know, it's done a really really good job, partly through dubious deals and everything that sorts this out will be dubious with Libya, Algeria, to Unisia and Albania. And I think, you know, if if labor can grasp this and move forward on it in a way, they can do it more easily than the Tories could, who were always seen as being persecuting the refugees. There is some future for it.

With Kiars done very interesting. Just quickly, Rod, to wrap this up. How much did the doctors get me in the junior doctors.

Twenty two percent? Exactly what they asked for, twenty percent, twenty two percent. You know, it's just at a time when they are telling us that there is no money in the economy to give the junior doctors, who were already very well paid twenty two percent. It's people will wake up and they will see how absurd that is.

I reckon, go well, mate, we'll catch up Thursday.

Rod.

Little The problem for Kearstamarund of the other story, we didn't have time to cover off today is this bloke and it's not just him. Over the year has been many people, but one of the people who gives money to the Labor Party is Lord Wahi Dali. Anyway, some of the money he gave turned up to be clothing for Sakia and his wife, Lady Victoria. And who's Lady Victoria turned up in literally today they said, is that one of yours, Lady Victoria, is it And the problem with that is of course that's going to haunt them forever. For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to news talks it'd be from six am weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.