A summary of today's developments
Edwards’s wife, Vicky Flind, issued a statement on his behalf on Wednesday, disclosing her husband was “suffering from serious mental health issues” and “receiving inpatient hospital care, where he will stay for the foreseeable future” as she asked for privacy for her family.
Earlier, detectives from the Met police ended their assessment into the original allegations and determined there was no evidence of a criminal offence. South Wales Police also said no further action would be taken.
The BBC said it is resuming its investigation while “continuing to be mindful of our duty of care to all involved”.
The BBC is facing further allegations of inappropriate behaviour by Edwards towards more junior staff including suggestive messages referencing their appearance.
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The Guardian: Huw Edwards named as the BBC
— George Mann (@sgfmann) July 12, 2023
presenter at centre of allegations #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/umZSg1P5Fo
The Times: Wife reveals Huw Edwards
— George Mann (@sgfmann) July 12, 2023
is BBC star in eye of storm #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/rifN5l7Vj6
Daily Mail: My husband has serious mental health issues #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/BOu2cnpOfh
— George Mann (@sgfmann) July 12, 2023
The Daily Telegraph: Huw Edwards named by wife as presenter suspended by BBC #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/v0xiUAC6Gx
— George Mann (@sgfmann) July 12, 2023
Here is some of Thursday’s front pages starting with the Mirror.
Daily Mirror: BBC STAR HUW’S IN HOSPITAL AFTER
— George Mann (@sgfmann) July 12, 2023
SCANDAL #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/OSPBU0lgkx
Vicky Flind, the TV producer wife of Huw Edwards has not been involved in editing tonight’s Peston ITV politics show, however Robert Peston told viewers she would want everyone “to get on with the show”.
The ITV News political editor echoed comments made by MP Jess Phillips that Vicky Flind is the “nicest, kindest and most decent woman”.
He told viewers she is the editor of the channel’s flagship political programme but “hasn’t been involved tonight or at all this week”.
Peston said it had been “difficult to feel what she and her family have been going through”, but added he wasn’t looking to “minimise complaints” against the presenter.
“At this point Vicky would tell me to get on with the show, so we will,” he said.
This was what I say at the start of #Peston tonight. It's on ITV at 10.45.
— Robert Peston (@Peston) July 12, 2023
As a journalist I have spent more or less my entire career weighing up stories by whether they are truly in the public interest or just interesting to the public. This has been on my mind a lot,…
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Jackie Hayes, board director for Hacked Off, told BBC Newsnight she is “profoundly depressed by the unashamed abuse of power by the Sun” and “urgent answers needed” from the newspaper.
Adam Boulton, former political editor of Sky News and a friend of Edwards, said the BBC needs to hold Edwards to account.
He acknowledged though it is a “sad state of affairs,” he does not believe that The Sun should not have published its original story.
He said it would be wrong if it the report was untrue but said there has so far been no “specific denial”.
“At the moment it looks like it’s in the legitimate public interest,” Boulton told Sky News.
He added: “Those on television who hold others to account for their behaviour have to be prepared to be held to account.”
One of the Sun’s arguments is that it did not initially suggest Huw Edwards engaged in illegal behaviour – and that it was actually other outlets that did.
One problem for the Sun is that it did later run an article suggesting Edwards “could face criminal charges and years behind bars”.
The piece was written by Scarlet Howes, the same Sun reporter who broke the initial story, based on quotes in the Times.
The juxtaposition was seized on by Hacked Off, the group that campaigns for press regulation.
Outrageous that @TheSun now appears to be trying to claim they never suggested criminality in BBC presenter story - when they published this three days ago. pic.twitter.com/ZwZEfrIfOs
— Hacked Off (@hackinginquiry) July 12, 2023
The Sun’s reporting on Edwards is increasingly part of a wider debate about tabloid excess, with Labour currently developing its policies on press regulation in the expectation the party enters government next year.
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The BBC should be given space to conduct an investigation into the allegations faced by newsreader Huw Edwards, a government minister said.
Tom Tugendhat, the security minister, told Sky News: “I think the right thing to do is to allow the BBC to conduct whatever investigation they feel they need to do and to make sure that the family are not dragged into this.
“After all, there’s one person who’s been alleged to have done wrong, not his whole family.”
Asked about the BBC’s handling of the controversy, he said: “I have very partial information and I don’t want to rush to judgment when actually these are serious allegations.
“And the correct thing to do is to find out what actually happened before casting aspersions on anyone.”
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A former editor of The Sun, David Yelland, has criticised the newspaper’s coverage and said he wishes Huw Edwards well.
“The Sun inflicted terror on Huw despite no evidence of any criminal offence,” he wrote on Twitter.
I wish @thehuwedwards well. The Sun inflicted terror on Huw despite no evidence of any criminal offence. This is no longer a BBC crisis, it is a crisis for the paper. Huw's privacy must now be respected. Social media also needs speedy reform.
— David Yelland (@davidyelland) July 12, 2023
The Sun newspaper issued a statement this evening defending its coverage and stating it will cooperate with the BBC’s internal investigation process.
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Earlier, we blogged that BBC News reported new claims that Edwards is alleged to have sent messages to three colleagues which left them feeling uncomfortable, with one of the individuals alleging that “inappropriate and suggestive messages were sent”.
BBC Newsnight has also spoken to one current and one former BBC worker who alleged they received inappropriate messages from Edwards, some late at night and signed off with kisses.
The BBC said: “We always treat the concerns of staff with care, and would urge anyone to speak to us if they have any concerns. We have clear processes for making complaints.”
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Dan Walker, the former host of BBC Breakfast, has called the development an “awful situation”, and said he hopes people “on all sides [get the] time, space and support they need”.
This is an awful situation & will come as a big shock to many.
— Dan Walker (@mrdanwalker) July 12, 2023
Huw Edwards is clearly not in a good place at the moment and this must be terrible for his family.
I just hope that whoever needs help - on all sides of this - gets the time, space & support they need to heal.
The Sun has faced many major controversies in its time. The tabloid’s reporting on Huw Edwards could soon be added to that list.
Rupert Murdoch’s newspaper is facing serious questions over its reporting and ethical standards, after it alleged Edwards paid a 17-year-old for explicit images – only for police to conclude there was no evidence to support this allegation of serious criminal wrongdoing.
Days later, his wife said Edwards is in a hospital dealing with “serious mental health issues” and the newspaper is rapidly backtracking on its original story. Extraordinarily, on Wednesday night the Sun insisted its initial claim that the presenter had given a young person “more than £35,000 since they were 17 in return for sordid images” was not a suggestion of criminal activity.
From hosting the nightly news to announcing the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Huw Edwards is the presenter the nation turns to when crisis strikes, write Rachel Hall and Matthew Weaver.
But now the nation is consumed by a crisis of his own, after he was named by his wife as the man at the centre of a media scandal. Media reports of a BBC presenter spending £35,000 on explicit photographs from a young person, which first emerged on Friday, had led to a frenzy of speculation on social media.
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Here is the full statement from Tim Davie, the BBC’s director general, to staff.
“I wanted to write following this evening’s statements from the family of Huw Edwards and the police.
“Many of you will have read the words of Vicky Flind, Huw’s wife. It is a reminder that the last few days have seen personal lives played out in public. At the heart of this are people and their families.
“This will no doubt be a difficult time for many after a challenging few days. I want to reassure you that our immediate concern is our duty of care to all involved.
“Also this afternoon, the Metropolitan police and South Wales police confirmed they would be taking no further action following an assessment of information provided to them.
“As you know, we were asked to pause our fact-finding investigations until that assessment had been concluded. It is important we now continue with this work. I want to be clear that in doing so we will follow due process.
“This remains a very complex set of circumstances. As we have done throughout, our aim must be to navigate through this with care and consideration, in line with the BBC values.”
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The spokespersons for the culture secretary, Lucy Frazer, and the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, have today both refused to comment, saying it was a matter for the BBC.
On Saturday Frazer did comment, saying she had spoken to the BBC director general, Tim Davie, about the “deeply concerning allegations”.
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The BBC director general, Tim Davie, has said in a message to staff: “This will no doubt be a difficult time for many after a challenging few days.
“I want to reassure you that our immediate concern is our duty of care to all involved.”
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Despite his suspension by the BBC, Huw Edwards has liked a number of tweets on Twitter in recent days.
One of them was a tweet by former BBC North America editor Jon Sopel, which suggested the Sun “needs to provide evidence” for its claims or “potentially face the mother of all libel actions”.
A public relations and crisis consultant has praised the wife of Huw Edwards, Vicky Flind, following her naming him as the BBC presenter.
Mark Borkowski told the PA news agency of the need for a “true appraisal of the facts”.
He said: “It’s interesting that his wife took control of this, and actually she should be praised for actually dealing with the fact that there’s a huge amount in our society that we still are affected by shame and shame (plays) a huge part in the British human condition.”
Borkowski added that people in the public eye “face the same pressures” and it is “really tough at the top”.
He said: “It’s a very cold and lonely place and people just see the bright side of fame. We don’t talk enough about the prefabricated hell that people live in when they’re famous.”
BBC reports new claims about Huw Edwards
BBC News has continued with its investigation into Huw Edwards.
It reported new claims that the presenter sent messages to three BBC colleagues which left them feeling uncomfortable, with one of the individuals alleging that “inappropriate and suggestive messages were sent”.
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The Sun says it never 'alleged criminality' in BBC presenter story
The Sun has issued a statement insisting it never accused Huw Edwards of criminal activity and blamed other media outlets for reading too much into its reporting.
On Friday night the tabloid claimed that “a well-known presenter” at the BBC had given a young person “more than £35,000 since they were 17 in return for sordid images”.
Owning explicit pictures of a 17-year-old counts as possession of child sexual abuse images under English and Welsh law, is a serious criminal offence that carries a recommended jail term. As a result the BBC suspended Edwards and referred the matters to the police, who later concluded there was no criminal case to answer.
The Sun now insists it never actually meant to imply anything illegal took place and added it has no plans to publish further allegations.
A spokesperson said: “The allegations published by the Sun were always very serious. Further serious allegations have emerged in the past few days.
“It is right that the BBC’s corporate investigations team continues to investigate these thoroughly and deals with them in the way that they think is appropriate.
“The Sun will cooperate with the BBC’s internal investigation process. We will provide the BBC team with a confidential and redacted dossier containing serious and wide-ranging allegations which we have received, including some from BBC personnel.
“The Sun has no plans to publish further allegations.
“We must also re-emphasise that the Sun at no point in our original story alleged criminality and also took the decision neither to name Mr Edwards nor the young person involved in the allegations.
“Suggestions about possible criminality were first made at a later date by other media outlets, including the BBC.
“From the outset, we have reported a story about two very concerned and frustrated parents who made a complaint to the BBC about the behaviour of a presenter and payments from him that fuelled the drug habit of a young person.
“We reported that the parents had already been to the police who said that they couldn’t help.
“The parents then made a complaint to the BBC which was not acted upon.
“It is now for the BBC to properly investigate.”
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Huw Edwards has previously spoken publicly in the past about his mental health problems, describing how his depression and anxiety had left him unable to get out of bed at times.
The Welsh journalist and broadcaster, who has been named as the BBC presenter facing allegations over payments for sexually explicit images, has been “suffering from serious mental health issues”, according to his wife, Vicky Flind.
She said that he was now “receiving inpatient hospital care, where he will stay for the foreseeable future”.
The 61-year-old told Men’s Health UK in May 2022 that his depression included anxiety that tended to “hit” him “in a strong wave and then go away”.
Edwards, who has been suspended by the public service broadcaster where he has worked since 1984, also revealed in a documentary that he had experienced bouts of depression since 2002 which could leave him “bedridden”.
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Craig Oliver, a former director of communications for No 10 and former editor of the BBC’s TV news, has tweeted: “Vicky Flind - who is married to Huw Edwards - is a hugely respected figure in broadcasting. As the Metropolitan Police say there is no evidence of law breaking, we should respect her call for privacy for her family, knowing we will soon hear the full story.”
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Regarding the BBC investigation and where the corporation goes from here, former BBC editor Tim Luckhurst told Sky News:
I think the absence of evidence to justify a criminal investigation is very significant because the facts in this case are yet to be known... but if there has been no criminality then there have to be questions asked about what kind of pressure Huw Edwards may have been put under by those with whom he’d been in contact.
There have always been two sides to this story. We’ve seen one side courtesy of the Sun – and I make no criticism of the Sun for its reporting, which has genuinely set the agenda – but we haven’t heard Huw Edwards’ side of the story.
Given Huw Edwards is in hospital and his family want peace, I suspect we’re going to wait some time to hear that, but hopefully the BBC will get to the bottom of this, and will get to the bottom of it with rigour and a degree of speed, that would be truly helpful.
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For anyone experiencing depression, the UK charity Mind is available on 0300 123 3393 and Childline on 0800 1111.
In the US, Mental Health America is available on 800-273-8255.
In Australia, support is available at Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline on 13 11 14, and at MensLine on 1300 789 978
Current and former BBC journalists have been tweeting their reaction to the news about Huw Edwards this evening.
John Simpson wrote: “I feel so sorry for everyone involved in this: for the Edwards family, for the complainants, and for Huw himself. No criminal offences were committed, so it’s a purely personal tragedy for everyone involved. Let’s hope the press leave them all alone now.”
I feel so sorry for everyone involved in this: for the Edwards family, for the complainants, and for Huw himself. No criminal offences were committed, so it’s a purely personal tragedy for everyone involved. Let’s hope the press leave them all alone now.
— John Simpson (@JohnSimpsonNews) July 12, 2023
Broadcaster Jon Sopel, the BBC’s former North America editor, described the situation as “awful and shocking” and hit out at some of the reaction to this story.
He said Huw Edwards was not guilty of any criminality but had “perhaps a complicated private life” which no longer felt “very private”.
This is an awful and shocking episode, where there was no criminality, but perhaps a complicated private life. That doesn’t feel very private now. I hope that will give some cause to reflect. They really need to. I wish @thehuwedwards well. pic.twitter.com/H3rN3bhE1U
— Jon Sopel (@jonsopel) July 12, 2023
South Wales Police not taking further action
South Wales police say they have ended their inquiries into the matter.
The force said a meeting with the BBC and Met police earlier this week led to them carrying out fresh inquiries.
They first decided in April no offence had been committed.
After the Met announcement on Wednesday, South Wales police said they had reached the same conclusion.
Here is the force’s full statement:
“South Wales police has remained in contact with representatives of the Metropolitan police and the BBC following a meeting on Monday.
“Information was initially received by the force in April 2023 regarding the welfare of an adult. No criminality was identified.
“Following recent events, further enquiries have been carried out and officers have spoken to a number of parties to establish whether any criminal allegations are being made.
“At this time, there is no evidence that any criminal offences have been committed. There are no ongoing enquiries being carried out by South Wales police.
“However, should evidence of criminality or safeguarding issues be identified at any point in future then they will be investigated.”
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Correction: a post in this live blog earlier said that PA Media and Sky News had reported Huw Edwards had resigned. PA Media, in fact, did not report that. Sky News initially reported that the BBC said he had resigned, though they later corrected that to say he had not.
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Vicky Flind, the wife of newsreader Huw Edwards, has named him as the BBC presenter suspended after allegations he paid for sexually explicit images.
She said her husband was “suffering from serious mental health issues” and is currently “receiving inpatient hospital care, where he’ll stay for the foreseeable future”.
Her statement came shortly after the Metropolitan police said there was no evidence that Edwards committed a criminal offence, and the force would end its inquiries relating to the case.
The Sun had alleged the presenter paid a young person for explicit photos, starting when the individual was 17 – a potentially serious criminal offence. Officers have now concluded there is no evidence to support this allegation.
The time it took the Met police to reach their assessment no criminal offence had been committed was relatively rapid.
A detective met virtually with the BBC on Monday lunchtime.
Barely 48 hours later Britain’s biggest police force was confident enough to declare that whatever happened, it was not a matter for them.
The Met is the second police force to look at the alleged contact between the BBC presenter and youth and decide it did not amount to a crime.
South Wales police have said they assessed material in April and reached the same decision as the Met police.
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Full Met police statement
Here is the statement from the Met police concluding no criminal offence was committed regarding allegations over payments for sexually explicit images.
Detectives from the Met’s specialist crime command have now concluded their assessment and have determined there is no information to indicate that a criminal offence has been committed.
In reaching this decision, they have spoken to a number of parties including the BBC and the alleged complainant and the alleged complainant’s family, both via another police force. There is no further police action. As such, the Met has advised the BBC it can continue with its internal investigation.
We are aware of media reporting of further allegations against the same individual. No specific details or information about these allegations have been passed to us and therefore there is no police action at this time.
Should evidence of criminality or safeguarding issues be identified at any point we would expect matters to be referred to the relevant police force.
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Who is Huw Edwards?
Huw Edwards is one of the most recognisable faces on British television, anchoring coverage of major national events and presenting the BBC’s News At Ten.
The 61-year-old has fronted the flagship nightly news programme for the last 20 years.
Edwards, who was born in Bridgend and brought up in Llangennech, Carmarthenshire, joined the BBC as a trainee in 1984.
In four decades at the corporation, he has been among the broadcasting teams leading coverage of historical events including the late queen’s funeral last September and the coronation of the king in May.
Edwards, a married father-of-five, announced the late queen’s death on the BBC.
He has been the BBC’s go-to presenter for big news events and has been front and centre in live broadcasts of election coverage, the queen’s diamond jubilee in 2012 and p-latinum jubilee in 2022, the wedding of the then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2011, the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in 2018, and the funeral of the late Duke of Edinburgh in 2021.
Edwards was also the BBC’s voice at Trooping the Colour and the Festival of Remembrance.
The news anchor was a Westminster correspondent for 13 years, and has played a key role in the BBC’s political reporting, taking over election coverage from the long-serving David Dimbleby in 2019.
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The BBC has reported that Huw Edwards is facing “yet more allegations of inappropriate behaviour” this evening.
The new accusations are that he behaved inappropriately towards colleagues at the BBC.
You can read our full story on this development here:
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The Metropolitan police have said no criminal offence has been committed over the allegations regarding payments for sexually explicit images.
A spokesperson for the BBC said: “We have seen the statement from the police confirming they have completed their assessment and are not taking further action. We’re grateful to them for completing this work at speed.
“The police had previously asked us to pause our fact-finding investigations and we will now move forward with that work, ensuring due process and a thorough assessment of the facts, whilst continuing to be mindful of our duty of care to all involved.”
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Huw Edwards named as BBC presenter at centre of allegations
Huw Edwards has been named by his wife, Vicky Flind, as the BBC presenter facing allegations over payments for sexually explicit images.
In a statement to the PA news agency, Flind said her husband was “suffering from serious mental health issues” and is “receiving inpatient hospital care, where he will stay for the foreseeable future” as she asked for privacy for her family.
Flind said: “In light of the recent reporting regarding the ‘BBC presenter’ I am making this statement on behalf of my husband Huw Edwards, after what have been five extremely difficult days for our family. I am doing this primarily out of concern for his mental well-being and to protect our children.
“Huw is suffering from serious mental health issues. As is well documented, he has been treated for severe depression in recent years.
“The events of the last few days have greatly worsened matters, he has suffered another serious episode and is now receiving in-patient hospital care where he’ll stay for the foreseeable future.
“Once well enough to do so, he intends to respond to the stories that have been published. To be clear Huw was first told that there were allegations being made against him last Thursday.
“In the circumstances and given Huw’s condition I would like to ask that the privacy of my family and everyone else caught up in these upsetting events is respected. I know that Huw is deeply sorry that so many colleagues have been impacted by the recent media speculation. We hope this statement will bring that to an end.”
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