News broadcaster Clive Myrie has apologised for failing to declare tens of thousands of pounds in payments from external BBC events that he undertook outside his role at the corporation.
The 60-year-old blamed the error on “several administrative issues” and said he will not be taking part in paid external events for the “foreseeable future”, except for some pre-existing commitments.
He has reportedly failed to declare at least £145,000 of earnings to the BBC from engagements outside of the corporation.
Rules state "presenters must reveal what they earn on an external events register, which is published by the corporation every quarter,", according to the BBC.
BBC Two - Clive Myrie's Caribbean Treasures, Series 1, Episode 1. Go on, you know you want to! @BBCTwo tonight,7pm. @Alleycatstv https://t.co/JZ5crkujbu
— Clive Myrie (@CliveMyrieBBC) December 4, 2024
Clive wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter: “An apology – I’ve had several administrative issues, and I didn’t fill out the correct paperwork for some of my external public events, so they haven’t been published until now.
“I’ve told the BBC I won’t be taking part in any more paid external events in the foreseeable future, beyond a handful of pre-existing commitments, so that this doesn’t happen again.
“My sincere apologies. Thanks, Clive.”
Clive made 28 retrospective entries to the register, dating back to March 2021, for roles including host, presenter, interviewer, moderator and panel chairman.
He received more than £10,000 on five occasions, including an event hosted by the Isle of Man’s Energy and Sustainability Centre.
For a further 18 occasions he was paid between £5,000 and £10,000, while he charged between £1,000 and £5,000 for five events.
The news anchor was also paid by organisations including the Football Association, American Express and the National Residential Landlords Association.
Clive has declared external events in previous quarterly registers, but these latest retrospective additions were not previously registered in the quarters they were carried out.
Introduced in 2021, the register details paid-for external work by staff in on-air journalism roles, and senior leaders.
On Wednesday, the BBC published the register for the third quarter of 2024, noting that “a number of events that were not submitted to the register in previous quarters have been retrospectively published today”.
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The corporation said the register is part of its “commitment to ensure the highest standards of impartiality across the organisation” and those who have failed to follow the correct process “have been reminded of their responsibilities with regards to the register”.
It said where “non-compliance has occurred, robust management action has been taken” and that disciplinary action can be taken for breaches.
The corporation added that it would be updating their guidelines to outline the “volume” of paid external events individuals are allowed to undertake.
Clive's BBC salary is listed as being between £310,000 and £314,999, according to figures from the corporation’s latest annual report published earlier this year.
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