JohnWhittingdale has really missed a trick today.
By chickening out of plans to force the BBC to disclose the publicly-funded salaries of most of its broadcasters, he has effectively admitted two things.
Firstly, that while taxpayers are allowed to know that the prime minister is paid £149,440, they are not allowed to know, for example, what the Radio 4 PM presenter Eddie Mair is paid.
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Secondly, Whittingdale has in essence said that it is okay for the BBC to carry on being the most secretive and influential publicly-funded organisation in Britain – a characteristic that can lead to dishonesty and corruption.
I am told Whittingdale and the TV licence paying public would be truly shocked if they knew how many middle-ranking TV and radio presenters are paid between £150,000 and £450,000 per year.
Yet under his plans, Whittingdale has opted to force the BBC to reveal the identities only of those on £450,000 and more.
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Anyone who follows the news moderately closely will know the members of this select club already – Graham Norton, Chris Evans, Gary Lineker, David Dimbleby, Huw Edwards, Fiona Bruce, Steve Wright, Jeremy Vine and Andrew Marr.
Far more interesting is the more densely populated group in the tier below Norton’s.
As it happens, one very well-placed Radio 4 source has told me that Eddie Mair takes home £425,000 per year.
When I put this to the BBC, they refused to deny it.
Indeed, a spokesman would not comment at all, but he did say that this is a “wild exaggeration”.
Well, maybe it is, but under Whittingdale’s new rules, we will never know the truth either way unless Mr Mair chooses to disclose his publicly-funded salary himself.
This means the BBC can continue to operate what amounts to a cartel.
If Eddie Mair – and other BBC presenters who are paid more than the prime minister – is happy for people to speculate unhelpfully about his publicly-funded salary, he has just got what he wished for.
The BBC will be feeling pleased with itself today.
For that, you can thank John Whittingdale.
