Huw Edwards latest: Presenter faces fresh claims after wife names him as BBC resumes investigation

A current and a former BBC staffer said in new allegations, reported by BBC Newsnight on Wednesday night, that they had received “inappropriate messages” from Mr Edwards, “some of them late at night and signed off with kisses”.

Both said there was “a reluctance among junior staff to complain to managers about the behavior of senior peers when it could negatively impact their careers,” Newsnight said.

This comes after the BBC reopened its investigation into Mr Edwards after suspending it at the request of the Metropolitan Police while police were conducting their own inquiries into a range of allegations against Mr Edwards, including paying a young person for sexually explicit material Pictures.

However, after the Met concluded that it had no information to suggest a crime had been committed, the broadcaster said it would “conduct a thorough assessment of the facts, while continuing to exercise our duty of care to all parties involved.”

The BBC will continue its “expert inquiry” into the allegations against veteran BBC broadcaster Huw Edwards after his wife revealed the presenter’s name on Wednesday night.

BBC Director-General Tim Davie said in a note to staff it was “important” that work on the internal inquiry continued, adding: “I would like to make it clear that we will follow due process in doing so.”

Huw Edwards liked two tweets on Monday, both of which linked to a BBC article in which the youth’s lawyers reported that the mother’s claims at the heart of the sex scandal were “nonsense”.

The lawyer told the broadcaster that “nothing inappropriate or illegal” had taken place and that the young man had denied the allegations to The Sun before it published claims that a BBC presenter had paid the teenager for sexually explicit photos.

Jon Sopel tweeted: “The Sun has made the most serious allegations against a BBC presenter. Now he has to produce evidence or possibly face the mother of all libel lawsuits.”

Huw Edwards recently deleted his Instagram account but still has his Twitter account.

Angela Rayner said the coverage of the allegations against Huw Edwards was “tragic” and raised questions about the BBC’s complaints procedures.

The Labor Deputy Leader said the story pitted “parents against a child” and “the BBC against The Sun”, leaving Mr Edwards in “a terrible situation”.

“It is right that the BBC is reviewing its processes and checking that its complaints procedure is working properly,” she told Times Radio.

She added, “People need to have confidence in these processes, that they can speak up if there’s a problem in the workplace and that there are policies and procedures in place to deal with that.”

“Are the BBC’s policies and procedures correct and being applied correctly?”

And Ms Rayner said: “It’s an absolutely tragic situation pitting parents against a child, the BBC against The Sun.” And Huw Edwards is obviously in a terrible situation at the moment and his family have made the circumstances very clear to him .”

Here’s a timeline behind the controversy:

Back in September, BBC News viewers joked that the presenter deserved “a two-week break” after days of commenting on the Queen’s funeral. A memory:

News anchor Huw Edwards has spoken publicly about his mental health issues in the past, describing how at times his depression and anxiety made him unable to get out of bed:

The supporters of the “outstanding broadcaster” include journalists and prominent media representatives:

Huw Edwards is “the perfect target for those who want to undermine and actually destroy the BBC,” said Alastair Campbell, a former Labor Party spin doctor.

Campbell praised his coverage of the Queen’s death, saying Edwards was an excellent speaker and the couple spoke about his experiences with depression.

He added: “As the police have said no action needs to be taken, whatever he did or didn’t do is up to him and his family and the BBC.”

Edwards, 61 and a father of five, has been presenter of the BBC’s main nightly news program for 20 years and has gained a reputation as a respected, experienced broadcaster. Read more about his background: