Senior British politicians have called on the BBC to investigate allegations that a leading presenter paid a teenager for explicit photos.
The publicly funded national broadcaster is under pressure after The Sun newspaper reported allegations that the male presenter gave a youth 35,000 pounds ($45,000) starting in 2020 when the young person was 17.
The young person’s mother had complained to the BBC in May. The Sun said the age of sexual consent in Britain is 16, and it’s a crime to make or possess indecent images of anyone under 18.
The BBC said it treats any allegations very seriously and has processes in place to proactively deal with them.
The presenter was not due to be on the air in the near future, but it was unclear whether he had been suspended.
Government minister Victoria Atkins said the allegations were “very serious,” and the BBC needs to act swiftly to deal with them.
Rachel Reeves, the economy spokeswoman for the opposition Labour Party, said the BBC needed to “speed up their processes” and “get their house in order.”
The BBC faces greater scrutiny than other broadcasters because it is taxpayer-funded and committed to remaining impartial in its news coverage.
In March, the BBC faced a storm over free speech and political bias when its leading sports presenter, former England soccer player Gary Lineker, criticized the government’s immigration policy on social media.
Lineker was suspended but was restored after other sports presenters, analysts, and Premier League players boycotted the BBC airwaves in solidarity.
