The BBC increased its salary bill for presenters by £11 million last year, as Theresa May demanded to know how the corporation can justify such a rise while cutting off free television licences for the over-75s.

The total wage bill for on-air roles was up by more than seven per cent to £158.6 million, and the BBC’s overall headcount increased by nearly 1,000.

The number of presenters earning £150,000 or more increased from 64 to 75 in the last financial year, with the combined bill up from £19.8 milion to £21.8 million.

Those elevated to the ’rich list’ included Zoe Ball and Sara Cox, the Radio 2 DJs, and Jermaine Jenas, the Match of the Day pundit and former footballer, as the BBC responded to previous criticism about the lack of women and BAME presenters among its high earners.

Gary Lineker resisted calls to take a pay cut and maintained his salary of £1.75 million per year, making him the BBC’s highest-paid star for the second year running. His Match of the Day colleague, Alan Shearer, saw his pay rise.