One of the BBC’s most senior journalists has been widely praised after she resigned from her post in protest at the gender pay gap, accusing the corporation of continuing a “secretive and illegal” culture of unequal salaries.

Carrie Gracie, who has been the BBC’s China editor since 2013, claimed the corporation is “breaking equality law” in its dealings with staff, and adopting a “bunker mentality” which is failing to address the significant pay gap.

Referring to the “indefensible” difference in pay between men and women, in part revealed in a July report, Gracie said she now felt obliged to speak out after private attempts to convince executives to treat her fairly failed.

The high-profile public resignation is the most embarrassing moment yet for the BBC in the months since the pay gap was revealed, and comes on the eve of her scheduled appearance presenting Radio 4's Today Programme.

In a letter addressed to BBC Audiences, Gracie alleged that up to 200 women had filed pay complaints and warned licence fee-payers that, should the corporation fail to deal with the “shocking” pay gap effectively, it risked “wasting your licence fee on an unwinnable court fight against female staff”.

Gracie, who will leave her position in China to return to the BBC news room, claimed that male international editors are paid at least 50 per cent more than women doing the same job.