Salaries Of BBC’s Richest Stars To Be Kept Secret After Corporation Chiefs Opposed Revealing Pay

Viewers are to be kept in the dark over how much the BBC pays its biggest stars, after ministers revealed a climb down on forcing the corporation into transparency about pay.

Culture Secretary John Whittingdale, below, is to unveil the Beeb’s long-awaited new governing charter for the next 11 years to MPs.

The Tories had initially pledged to enforce a new rule that would see every on-screen star with a salary of more than the Prime Minister’s £150,000 a year named and their precise wage published.

This would to bring them into line with BBC managers and other public sector employees.

But corporation chiefs furiously opposed the move, insisting it would give rival broadcasters an unfair advantage.

Instead, only stars on Director General Lord Hall’s huge salary of £450,000 a year will be named, and then only in broad ranging bands – for example £500,000 a year to £1million.

Around nine BBC TV show hosts are thought to be trousering more than half a million pounds a year, including Graham Norton, Chris Evans and Gary Lineker, below.

A government source last night told The Sun: “They pushed back extremely hard on pay transparency and compromised with us on other areas.

“At least we will still be able to find out who all those people are on megabucks.”

But the U-turn left some politicians furious.

Tory backbencher Andrew Bridgen told The Sun: “If taxpayers are footing the bill for these vast salaries, then they have the right to know who is getting them and how much they are getting.

“It is very disappointing that we are still not able to make them do this.”

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