Former Sun editor: Photos claim now a crisis for The Sun, not the BBC

Harrogate-born former Sun editor David Yelland has claimed that what was a crisis for the BBC over the drawn-out explicit photos row has now become a crisis for The Sun.

In dramatically unravelling events last night, the BBC confirmed that it would restart its investigation into the, then unnamed, presenter at the heart of the paper’s claims over payments made to a young person for explicit photos after the Metroplitan Police confirmed no criminal activity had taken place.

Minutes later, BBC News anchor Huw Edwards’ wife issued a statement identifying her husband as the presenter, and revealing that he is currently in hospital receiving treatment for mental health issues.

Later still, The Sun issued a statement claiming that it had a dossier of “serious and wide-ranging” claims against the presenter, but confirmed it had “no plans” to publish any more stories on the matter, and would instead be helping the BBC with its enquiry. It added that it had at no point alleged criminality, or named either the presenter or the young person at the centre of the allegations.

Yelland, who was editor of The Sun from 1998-2003 and has also worked for the Northern Echo and North West Times, took to Twitter to accuse his former employer of inflicting “terror” on Edwards and describe the paper as in “crisis.” He also demanded “speedy” social media reform, presumably referring to the online witch hunt of possible candidates that has been ongoing since The Sun story first broke: