Entwistle wanted more than £450,000 when he left BBC, Lord Patten tells MPs
George Entwistle originally wanted more than the year’s salary when he resigned from the BBC director general role after 54 days, Lord Patten told MPs today, defining it as "one hell of a lot of money".
The BBC Trust chairman /news/2012/11/12/senior-mps-questions-bbcs-450000-pay-george-entwistle-after-two-months-director">told the Commons culture, media and sport select committee
"I went straight into new Broadcasting House and was told that he was prepared to go with a consensual termination of his contract, plus. We then spent an hour or so negotiating back and forth with his lawyer, and he wouldn't accept departure on six months' and wanted to go on 12 months' and more."
Patten said that the BBC agreed to the amount, instead of the contractually obliged six months’ pay, because the BBC Trust did not have grounds for dismissal, and this was the least expensive outcome.