Huw Edwards, the BBC’s lead anchor who broke the news of the Queen’s death last year, will not be returning to the broadcaster, according to reports in the British media.
This week Deadline reported that the UK government had been accused of interfering with the BBC’s independence after piling pressure on the broadcaster to grip the Huw Edwards scandal in July.
Now, The i newspaper reports that an internal investigation into the journalist’s conduct has concluded, and he is now in discussions over his future with BBC managers.
The investigation followed allegations in The Sun newspaper back in July that Edwards had paid a young person to send him explicit photographs. He was also accused of sharing “inappropriate messages” with BBC staff.
At the time, Edwards said in a statement that he had done nothing illegal. In the months since, he has been on sick leave from the BBC, citing concerns over his mental health.
The Times reports that Edwards is not expected to return to his role as the BBC’s lead news anchor, which included presenting state occasions including the Queen’s funeral and the King’s coronation, and fronting general election coverage.
A BBC insider told The Times: “It’s all being dealt with by HR and we are deliberately being kept in the dark. Having said that, there is no way back for him.” The BBC denied all reports as speculation and said it would not be commenting on an internal investigation.
There remains the challenge of how to deal with archive footage fronted by the presenter. He broke the news of the Queen’s death to the nation, and is the BBC’s face for many recent prestigious events.
