Allegations that a BBC presenter paid a teenager more than £35,000 for sexually explicit photos are "very, very serious", a Government minister has said.
Treasury minister Victoria Atkins said the BBC must "act very swiftly" as "public attention and concern grows" over the allegations. The former criminal barrister warned we must remember there is a young person at the centre of this who "will be feeling possibly very, very distressed".
Urgent talks have taken place today between the Culture Secretary and the BBC director-general over the allegations. Speaking out this afternoon, Tory minister Lucy Frazer said she has been assured by BBC boss Tim Davie that the corporation is investigating the allegations “swiftly and sensitively”.
The mum of the teenager, who is alleged to have been 17-years-old when the payments began, claims the money sent to her child was used to fund a crack cocaine addiction. The teen, who is remaining anonymous, allegedly went from a "happy-go-lucky" teen to a "ghost-like" addict in just a number of years.
The mum told The Sun newspaper she "felt sick" whenever she saw the presenter on TV - who remained in post until recently despite the complaints being made to the BBC weeks ago. The Mirror reported last night that the accused presenter even partied with BBC bosses at an awards ceremony after the allegations were made.
Asked about the scandal on Sophy Ridge on Sunday, Ms Aitkins said: "These are very, very serious allegations and the BBC have said that they have processes in place but I think as public attention and concern grows, the BBC is going to have to act very swiftly to deal with these allegations and to set out what they are doing to investigate them."
Asked about the BBC presenter staying in place for up to seven weeks since the complaints were made, she said: "We will have to see what the BBC has to say about this, but these are very serious allegations and I can quite understand the public concern about them. "
Ms Aitkins also reminded that the case at hand is sensitive and to be considerate to the victim at hand. "I'm a former minister for safeguarding and I worked for 20 years in the criminal justice system and so in all of this and in our conversations about it, we have to remember that there is a person - a young person - at the centre of this, who will be feeling all sorts of emotions and will be feeling possibly very, very distressed so we do need please to keep that person in our minds as we discuss this," she told Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg.
Several BBC presenters, including Rylan Clark and Jeremy Vine, have been forced to come out on social media to say the unnamed presenter is not them. Ms Aitkins said: "Social media can be a great thing, but it can also lead to some very significant concerns in cases where perhaps there's an investigation ongoing or people are making allegations, unfounded allegations, and so there is a responsibility for social media companies to take care of what is on their sites."
She added that ministers "are really tightening up the laws" in the Online Safety bill, "so that we have that assurance that we all want when it comes to the internet, not just in relation to these sorts of allegations, but mums and dads worrying about their children's access to the internet and so on. We want to try and make the internet as safe as it possibly can be".
Labour's Rachel Reeves said the BBC needs to "get a grip" as she said "we seem to lurch from one scandal to another" across TV. The Shadow Chancellor said: “The BBC need to get their house in order and give greater clarity to what on earth has gone on in this case and what they are trying to do to put it right."
She added: "The idea that some presenters think that they act with impunity and they can get away with these sorts of things. It does call into question the ethics, the investigations, how long these things take, and the BBC but also other broadcasters do need to get a grip because we seem to lurch from one scandal to another and more needs to be done."
Ms Reeves said the fact the complaint had been made so long ago was "concerning". "That someone makes a complaint - a very serious complaint - and then puts on the telly the next night and they're still there, and that's not good enough. That is not treating people, victims, with respect, and that's why there needs to be a full investigation."
Asked if public figures should be held to a different standard, she added: "I think if anybody did this in any job, whether a teacher a doctor or a television presenter or a politician, it wouldn't be acceptable. But when serious allegations are made like this, I don't think it's right. that those people stay in those jobs whilst those very serious investigations go on."
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