THE BBC could follow the public sector by ensuring none of its staff earn more than the Prime Minister, new Culture Secretary Matt Hancock has suggested.

He said the corporation had “missed a chance” to bring in similar measures, as he contrasted the salaries of BBC foreign editors with those of ambassadors.

Hancock’s comments come amid the row over Carrie Gracie, who resigned as the BBC’s China editor last week in a row over unequal pay.

In a pay disclosure by the corporation last year, North America editor Jon Sopel was listed as having a salary of between £200,000 and £249,999 per year. Gracie revealed she had been earning £135,000 before the BBC offered her a £45,000 rise, which she rejected.

John Humphrys, who has been criticised after a leaked tape showed him joking with Sopel about the matter, was listed as having a salary of between £600,000 and £649,999, making him the BBC’s highest-paid news presenter. Theresa May’s salary as PM is 149,440.

“Making sure we have equal pay isn’t just about levelling up women’s pay in the BBC, it’s about equal pay and a reasonable level,” Hancock told ITV’s Peston On Sunday.

“Across the rest of the public sector, we brought in rules to say that except in exceptional circumstances, people who are paid for by the taxpayer shouldn’t be paid more than the Prime Minister.

“The BBC, of course, is responsible for its own pay, and I think it missed a chance to bring in that kind of rule when we brought it in for the rest of public sector a few years ago.

“Of course, there are sometimes circumstances where paying more is necessary, but if you think about it this way – who should we be paying the most to? Is it the BBC editor, or is it the ambassador? The generals have also made a very good point, that people in the armed services put their life on the line and yet they abide by the public-sector pay norms, which is not to have excessive pay and where the Prime Minister’s pay is seen as a guide at the top.”

Hancock added that he would discuss the issue with BBC director-general Lord Hall in the next few weeks. “The BBC is funded by licence fee payers and the licence fee is effectively a tax,” Hancock said. “We’ve got to have equal pay for equal jobs, and I think the BBC has a special responsibility to lead and to be a beacon.”

A BBC spokeswoman said: “We have reduced the amount we pay talent by a quarter over the past five years. However, we’re not competing in the same markets as politicians and other public-sector jobs.

“We are competing against ITV, Sky, C4, and increasingly now the deep pockets of Netflix, Amazon and Apple. A number of presenters have left the BBC for considerably more money but we always look to negotiate deals at discount against the market.”