Jeremy Vine receives libel payout from Twitter user who claimed he was accused BBC presenter

BBC radio presenter Jeremy Vine says he has secured a settlement from a Twitter user who wrongly identified him as the BBC presenter at the heart of the Huw Edwards row.

Vine’s name was one of several to trend on Twitter last weekend in the days immediately after the original Sun newspaper story, which claimed an unnamed BBC presenter had paid £35,000 to a young person in exchange for sexual images.

Vine said on Sunday that he had received an apology from a Twitter user – who describes themselves as a “patriot and proud Brit” and has more than 18,000 followers – who he said “libelled me by alleging that I was the BBC presenter” in question.

He added: “He has now acknowledged that he was wrong, and has apologised. At my request, he has also agreed to pay £1,000 to [the motor neurone disease association] rather than paying damages.”

The user, who was since locked their Twitter account, said: “On the 8th July, 2023, I posted a tweet stating that the then unknown BBC presenter involved in purchasing explicit photos from an unknown 17yo person was @theJeremyVine.

“This was untrue, and the post should not have been sent. Although the post was deleted, many screenshots were made and probably still exist. I retract the statement made in this tweet and any inference therein in their entirety.

“I would add that I sincerely and unreservedly apologise to Mr Vine for the untrue and defamatory statements made about him, which were entirely baseless.”

It only emerged last Wednesday that Huw Edwards was the figure at the centre of the story when his wife Vicky Flind said the presenter, who has a history of depression, was in hospital receiving mental health care.

The young person mentioned in the Sun‘s original story has also spoken out to deny that anything improper took place, and London’s Metropolitan Police said there was no evidence of any criminality – contrary to previous suggestions in The Sun that he “could be charged by cops and face years in prison”.

Edwards remains subject to a BBC “fact-finding” investigation, and could also face claims of misconduct after Newsnight broadcast allegations that he sent “flirtatious” messages to staff in their 20s.

Reports emerged on Sunday that BBC staff were warned against spreading “damaging” gossip about Huw Edwards.

Bosses at the broadcaster warned staff in an email not to spread rumours about the “delicate situation” and that speculation and gossip would not be tolerated, the Sunday Mirror reported.

The message was sent before Edwards was named as the presenter suspended amid a conduct investigation.

A BBC spokesperson declined to comment on the claims.

John Sergeant, a former BBC chief political correspondent and a friend of Edwards, said on Sunday that the debacle was a “very sad personal story”.

He told GB News: “Whenever I am looking at the coverage, I’m thinking, I wonder what Huw is thinking and how is he getting on?

“So, I’m looking at it from a very personal point of view. So, for me, the dismay really, it’s not so much ‘why don’t we know more, it’s almost ‘can we just calm down a bit?’. We now have a bit of a pause.

“It’s just this is a very difficult moment when the main person involved is suffering from mental health issues and that’s what I feel very strongly about.”

Former Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair told Sky News: “I don’t know the facts, and I feel sorry for everyone involved. These are very human situations, and I’ve known Huw for many years. I hope it all gets revolved in a way that keeps people in good health and resolves any issues.”

He said the BBC remains “a great British institution,” adding: “Of course these things will hit them from time to time, but I don’t think it means that the whole of the BBC is now a bad institution.

“And I think, you know, frankly, BBC should stand up for itself a bit more, to be blunt about it. And also, by the way, abroad the BBC is still regarded as an important British institution, and given our need to make sure we keep as much of a position of power in the world as we can… I still basically support it.”