Former BBC presenter John Humphrys has been condemned for undermining women’s fight for equal pay at the corporation by suggesting that it will divert money away from programmes threatened by funding cuts.

Mr Humphrys, formerly one of the BBC’s best-paid employees, wrote in a newspaper column that the broadcaster is “not primarily a pay tribunal or a pillar of diversity targets” and “is in for rough times”.

Reports emerged this week that the BBC, which has seen high-profile claims in recent years from female staff over unequal pay, is set to make major cuts to several of its flagship news programmes in a new savings drive.

“By the time all the pay complaints have been dealt with,” Mr Humphrys wrote in the Daily Mail, “there will be even less money left for programmes.”

The former Today presenter’s comments have been widely criticised, with one gender equality campaigner saying Mr Humphrys “needs to look a little closer to home”.

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“It’s overpaid men – not underpaid women – who have been the cause of the BBC’s equal-pay problem,” said Sam Smethers, CEO of the Fawcett Society. “The cost of resolving unequal pay has grown with every passing day the BBC has failed to settle these claims.”

The BBC has been locked in several high-profile disputes with female employees over the past few years, including Samira Ahmed, who won a sex discrimination case against the corporation earlier this year. She argued that she earned one sixth of what presenter Jeremy Vine received for “very similar work”.

Sarah Montague, who presented the Today programme with Mr Humphrys, recently revealed a £400,000 settlement after claiming she was underpaid by the BBC.

Mr Humphrys said that it “grates” to hear Jane Garvey – another woman campaigning for equal pay – and other presenters “behave as though they are making a heroic sacrifice for humanity rather than enjoying a privileged job”.

However, Mandu Reid, the leader of the Women’s Equality Party, said: “It always grates to hear John Humphrys spewing this damaging nonsense.”

“The BBC broke the law by paying women less than their peers for doing work of the same value,” she added.

“Yet it is women being blamed and now punished simply for having expected and asked for equality, as the corporation slashes programmes fronted and edited by women.”​

The Victoria Derbyshire Show will be axed, according to reports, and Newsnight – presented by an all-female team – is also reportedly facing cuts.

Mr Humphrys previously came under fire for seeming to make light of the gender pay gap at the BBC in a conversation about Carrie Gracie, the Asia editor who resigned over unequal pay.

While he maintained that he has always supported equal pay, he said he thought the backlash to the leaked audio was “preposterous”.

Mr Humphrys, who charges up to £20,000 for speaking events, took a cut to his £600,000 salary after a BBC list of top earners several years ago revealed that the majority were men.