The Staggers

The New Statesman’s rolling politics blog

The BBC walks into another political row as it hands Entwistle £450,000

The corporation has exposed itself to the charge of "rewarding failure".

By George Eaton Published 12 November 2012 9:54

A journalist outside the BBC's new Broadcasting House.

A journalist is seen presenting in front of camera, outside the BBC's new Broadcasting House in central London. Photograph: Getty Images.

Update: Downing Street has now responded, saying that Entwistle's payoff is "hard to justify" but is a matter for his "conscience". As I said below, it is hard to see Entwistle prevailing at a time when the BBC's reputation has already been so damaged.

If the BBC wants to restore public confidence, it's hard to think of a worse move than handing George Entwistle, who resigned as director general after just 53 days in the job, a payoff of £450,000, the equivalent of a year's salary and double the contractually required amount. In her capacity as shadow media secretary, Harriet Harman has criticised the payout as "a reward for failure" and has urged Entwistle to "decline to accept any more than is required under his contract".

The government, wary of being seen to compromise the BBC's independence, has not commented, but Conservative MP John Whittingdale, who chairs the commons media committee, said that "people would be very surprised that somebody who was in the job for such a short period of time and then had to leave in these circumstances should be walking away with £450,000 of licence fee-payers' money." He also rejected the BBC's argument that the payout was justified since Entwistle would "continue to help on BBC business, most specifically the two ongoing inquiries." He said: "I wouldn't have thought that just because you have to help any inquiry into the Savile allegations you necessarily need to be paid such a large amount of money."

Some have defended the payout on the grounds that Entwistle did not bear primary responsibility for the scandal (and so deserves our sympathy) and that the frequency with which director generals are forced to resign - half of those appointed since 1982 have had to resign over BBC output - means the corporation must offer generous terms to its managers. But whether or not the payout is justified in principle, as a tactical move it's disastrous, a gift to the BBC's many enemies. Having previously forced RBS chief executive Stephen Hester to renounce his bonus, the politicians will fancy their chances of success. In the current climate, it is hard to see Entwistle prevailing.

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Tags: BBC Labour

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6 comments

Tue, 2012-11-13 12:30 — Lucidus (not verified)

George,

Like many other journalists, you emphasise the 53 days.
However, George Entwistle has been working at the BBC since 1989; that's about 23 years. If you're asking a man to end his BBC career, then the package must reflect the the 23 years, not the 53 days.
If, for example, he had been made redundant from his previous post, Director of BBC Vision, his redundancy package would still have been considerable.

Tue, 2012-11-13 16:29 — Stuart Eels (not verified)

yes far too much for a bloke who can't be bothered to read one of the major newspapers, yet he carried the title of Editor in Chief and earned twice what Call me Dave was earning.

Tue, 2012-11-13 09:43 — Stuart Eels (not verified)

Nothing of the sort Kenny Jenkins, this is just another example of the fat cats at the BBC lining their pockets nodded through by other fat cats, in this case the extremely fat cat Patton. The BBC are a law unto themselves and in the modern day not needed. Fat cat Patton admits that they outnumber the Chinese Communist Party.

This is even more proof that it should be broken up and sold off. They don't stand up for the people at all as so many keep blabbering that they do just themselves.

Even at ground level there were more people over in the States for the election than covering our own elections, that's why the Tories want to keep the useful idiots close.

Mon, 2012-11-12 18:49 — kenny jenkins

If the BBC wants to renegotiate the terms of Entwistle's resignation then Entwistle should rescind his resignation. Either it's a deal or it's not. If they want to sack him they better have a good reason to do so.
Something that would stand up in a tribunal?
I thought not.
He's fairly obviously been paid to go away and keep quiet. I wonder what about?