Gary Lineker ‘volunteers to cut £1.75m BBC salary’
Written by News on 17/09/2019
Gary Lineker is reportedly volunteering to cut his £1.75m salary after years of controversy over his high pay cheque.
The Match Of The Day host is the BBC’s highest earner, according to figures published in July.
The BBC has come under fire for its gender pay gap in recent years, with three women moving into its top 10 list of highest paid stars earlier in 2019 – up from zero in 2018.
It has also faced criticism for giving a number of its stars pay rises while at the same time axing the universal, free TV licence for over-75s.
Lineker, 58, has told the Daily Mirror he is in talks with the broadcaster about a reduction.
“I love my job at the BBC and I enjoy doing it,” he was quoted as saying.
“I’m currently negotiating a new contract with them and I’m volunteering to take less.”
While some BBC presenters have already taken cuts, Lineker’s pay packet remained unchanged in figures published this summer.
John Humphrys, Huw Edwards, Nicky Campbell and Jeremy Vine were among the big-name BBC stars to have taken reductions.
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BBC Breakfast host and sport presenter Dan Walker and Today presenters Justin Webb and Nick Robinson were among those who received increases.
BBC director-general Tony Hall said this year the broadcaster had “turned the corner” on the issue of the gender pay gap.
This year’s figures put Zoe Ball, on around £370,000, as well as Vanessa Feltz and Claudia Winkleman as the highest-paid female stars.
The corporation’s overall gender pay gap was down from 7.6% to 6.7%, and salary differences between women and men are 3% or less at every single band.
(c) Sky News 2019: Gary Lineker ‘volunteers to cut £1.75m BBC salary’
