BBC presenter scandal: government minister Victoria Atkins blames social media for 'exacerbating' the situation

A government minister has taken aim at the likes of Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and more over the way that social media has handled the BBC presenter scandal, urging officials to "check their platforms" as speculation over the identity of the individual continues.

Victoria Atkins, the financial secretary of the Treasury, was asked a series of questions about the situation by reporters, and on top of her criticism of social media gave an account on whether or not the person in question should come forward publicly.

The BBC confirmed on Sunday (9 July) that it had suspended one of its male presenters and been in contact with the police after allegations were raised that he had paid a vulnerable teen over £30,000 for explicit images over a three-year period. Fresh claims have also been put forward by The Sun, which alleges that the star also broke Covid-19 lockdown rules in February 2021 to meet up with a 23-year-old.

Ever since the scandal first emerged, the British broadcaster is still yet to officially name the man and in not doing so has led to plenty of speculation. BBC stars like Rylan Clarke, Gary Lineker, Jon Kay and more have felt forced to speak out publicly and distance themselves from the allegations.

NationalWorld has called on the BBC to name the man at the centre of the allegations, and the likes of Piers Morgan and Jeremy Vine have also since come out to urge the individual to come forward to stop any further reputational damage to the BBC, himself and his colleagues.

Here is everything you need to know about what Victoria Atkins said about the BBC scandal and why she blames social media.

What did Victoria Atkins say about the BBC presenter scandal?

Speaking to Sky News, Victoria Atkins explained how the whole situation has been exacerbated by the use of social media as users continue to speculate and name the people they suspect to be involved in the BBC scandal. The Treasury minister wants the platforms to be checked regularly to avoid any further claims and allegations that could be damaging to people's reputations.

Victoria Atkins explained: "There is this real problem, that I think we as a society have to face, as to the impact on innocent people when allegations of this sort are made and people try to work out who is at the centre of the allegations. [It is the role of] social media firms to see what they are doing and checking on their platforms”.

The 47-year-old also refused to comment on whether or not the presenter in question should make their identity known and put out a stark warning to MPs, adding: "I’m not going to comment on an individual, the duties or responsibilities of them to name themselves. MPs should be very careful about using parliamentary privilege to identify the presenter and should remember the huge responsibility they have."

She added that the BBC has "lessons to be learned" from the scandal and the way it handles complaints, but said its internal investigation, as well as the Met Police coping exercise, should be allowed to run its course before starting a "post-mortem".

The minister said: "Because the allegations are so serious, and we have always acknowledged this, we have to let these processes now go through. There will certainly be lessons to be learned for the BBC and I can understand why people may be asking questions at this point and I’m sure those questions will continue to be asked.”